The Choices We Make
by xxSeaBrazierxx
Summary: The two had taken different paths in life, one becoming the head botanist for the Ark and the other an Ark Guard Cadet, although the two were once friends, life events separated them over the years. One escaped the Ark and went to Earth, the other when down later along with the Ark. The two were close in the past, can they come together again? - Eventual Bellamy OC
1. Chapter 1

A high pitched ringing echoed through her ears, her head was throbbing and there was a sharp object digging into her lower back. Nola was hoping it was one of her research books from inside her backpack, however the warm liquid puddling at her backside was telling her otherwise.

The room was dark, they had survived, Nola was pushed up against a wall with the body of a young boy sprawled over her, he wasn't moving, along with a few around the room. The only way to tell she wasn't the only one left alive was the occasional moan from other survivors of the Ark.

She quickly wiggled out from under the little body, eyes stinging and on the verge of nausea, Nola scooted a few metres away where there were no people – alive or dead – faced the wall and threw up, not that there was any food in her, her throat stung from the bile burning as it resurfaced. After hurling a few times she moved further away from the people and tried to steady her breath.

Most of the people were still disoriented, some were calling names, others were crying – out of both happiness and the loss of loved ones – and others were merely moaning. Nola felt a hollowness swell inside of her and she eyed the Ark survivors for familiar faces. Although descending from space was an absurd decision to make, it was their only hope, it was either die in space where no one would know or remember you, or die trying to return to Earth. There would be many losses that day, but this day would remain in the history books for lifetimes.

A few metres away there was a lone figure hobbling around to each of the survivors, Abigail Griffin. She was checking their vitals, figuring out which were survivors and which were deceased. For a split moment that their eyes met there, Nola could see a mix of relief that they had survived, sadness for those who hadn't, anticipation for that was awaiting them outside, and concern for the young woman who's face reflected in the doctors eyes.

Abby walked over, careful not to step on anyone as she made her way to the young woman and knelt down beside her. Abby rested her hand on Nola's shoulder, squeezing it, reassuring her that they had indeed survived what should've been their demise.

The doctor's hand moved from Nola's shoulder to her neck to check her pulse, she knew the girl was alive, it was just for precaution, she then grabbed a small torch out of her pocket and flashed it over her eyes.

"I'm fine Abby, really. I landed on my books but its nothing to worry about. There are others that need the attention more than I do." Abby knew her well, She and Nola's mother were once good friends, so Abby had the privilege of seeing her grow up, many few were in her life long enough to be apart of it. But the girl was lying, she was a hard girl to decipher to others but Abby had known her long enough to know when she lied.

Abby huffed at the girl before her, her long light brown hair cascading down to the middle of her back, the shorter tips carrying a bit of vomit, her fine features and high cheekbones enhancing her beauty were easy on the eyes, but it meant very little with her large hazel eyes staring back at Abby with a steady stare, assuring her that she was better off than the others surrounding them. She was a young woman who grew up too fast, with those eyes she's able to confront even the most influential adults, those eyes were more powerful than her beauty. But right now, deep within those eyes held pain, not just for those surrounding the two but Abby could see that she was in physical pain.

"Show me where you landed on the books." She said with a stern look, knowing that Nola would try to be left alone, she was renowned for doing things on her own and without others knowing, which had her in trouble multiple times in the past.

 _"But it was fine in the end wasn't it!" The fourteen-year-old girl shouted as she stood her ground against her mother. Abby had come for a cup of tea during her break, she never got to see her dear friend enough. However her friend Diana was in a heated discussion with her daughter Nola._

 _"Barely honey. How many times do I need to tell you to stay away from the hydroponics? They're what keep the gardens alive, without them we would have no crops. No food. We wouldn't survive; they're essential to the Ark. And every time you sneak in there you risk contaminating the area." Her mother Diana responded clearly drained from todays work only to have another mission on her hands._

 _"Mother! I know how it works, you know better than anyone else that I am more knowledgeable that those baboons that work there! I know more than them and could do a much better job!" Nola was frustrated with her mother; she had aced biology and Earth Studies and had improved the water efficiency by improving its quality and stream consistency yet her mother couldn't grasp the concept that even as an intern for Doctor Alfred – the Head Botanist – she should be able to help more because there is more she can still do!_

 _Diana stared at her daughter, Nola's shoulder length hair sticking out in all different directions, a smudge of black grease above her eyebrow, her hazel eyes piercing her mothers with that steady stare that told her she would not back down, her cheeks flushed and she looked as though she had just run five laps of the Ark, while getting chased by the goats. Diana worried for her daughter, even though Nola's actions were in the best interests of the Ark community, she just couldn't deal with what would happen if Nola's experiments were unsuccessful, evidently causing harm to either Nola or the Ark. She took a deep breath and regained her composure. "Nola. Just because you have some leeway in the improvements of the hydroponics during your internship with Dr Alfred, does not mean that you can take action on your own. What would have happened if security found you? Or if you had injured yourself during your experimentations?" she sighed, "You are unbelievably lucky that Freeman found you. If it were anyone else the situation would've been out of my hands."_

 _Abby was accustomed to the adventures that Nola spent on her own. Sure, for a fourteen year old she was intelligent, she had tried to encourage Nola to intern at the hospital with her but the girl never had the stomach for it, and she was far too interested in plant life to be interested in human life._

 _Nola powered on in her argument with her mother, Abby knew that Diana was losing enthusiasm for the topic and knew Nola wouldn't quit yet. However, at the sound of Diana saying that mans name 'Freeman' Abby noticed the girl's spine go rigid. That man frustrated the Nola beyond words, he would always be near her, watching her, making sure she didn't interfere with things. She got away of course, but there were times when he followed her for hours on end. She confided to Abby about her issues and the doctor kept it between the two. Nola didn't like him one bit but Diana did, besides, the woman was right. If it weren't for him she would have been in the skybox by now for sure. He never did anything, but Abby kept an eye on him. He wouldn't survive if he were to harm a child in any way._

 _Nola hmm'd in agreement with her mother. Diana sighed knowing that there was no winning this argument today, Abby could tell that her work had been tough today and she clearly wasn't in the mood to deal with Nola's antics, the woman looked emotionally and mentally drained, she was over the discussion. "Nola, there will come a time where I cannot help you, when that time comes, I hope that you make the right decisions. Better yet I hope you don't do these sorts of things to begin with. It will bite you in the rear one day." With that Diana walked back over to Abby and sat in the chair opposite, sipping her tea. Abby knew what had happened but kept it to herself, she knew Nola almost as much as Diana, even though one was the girls mother and the other was not. An unusual friendship they had but a lifelong one indeed._

Nola knew that Abby wouldn't back down, she was a strong woman, Nola would not win today. She reluctantly took off her backpack, leaned over onto her side, pulling up her shirt. What Abby saw certainly wasn't from a book, a slash had been marked around her waist and how she got it? Probably from being jolted from her secure spot against the wall during the Ark's decent to Earth, but that was irrelevant now, thankfully it wasn't too deep and the doctor had a small medical kit where she could stitch it up and safely cover it with a bandage to prevent infection. It may leave a slight scar but those sorts of things didn't bother Nola. "Kane! Pass the med-kit beside you." She faced the man helping Sinclair with the other survivors; they had their senses back and were able to move around now. Kane Nodded and brought it over without fail.

"Can't have our head gardener injured now can we?" he half-heartedly mocked as the middle aged man passed the med-kit to Abby. She gave him a stern look and ordered him to go back and help the other survivors, now wasn't the time to play favourites, but they would need her in weeks to come when it was time to plant crops, he knew that.

Thankfully Nola had a high pain threshold so the stitches, although they were painful, remained bearable. Nola had discovered this when she was climbing a tree in the crop fields of the Ark when she was seventeen, she had been growing a moss that could only survive in moist lifestyles underneath the canopy of trees, she hadn't climbed up there in a few days and was pleased to see the improvement and growth from the moss, however she had underestimated the speed it would spread, she lost her footing and slipped on the moss on her way down, ending her tree climbing days until her broken arm healed.

While Abby quickly stitched her up Nola's mind wandered back to reality, hoping that her blood had not damaged the text in her books, hoping that her writing was still legible. After all, she was now the Head Botanist, since Dr Alfred had passed away almost a year ago, her research would be crucial for the people of the Ark's survival on Earth.

A few hours had passed and although Nola was injured - now stitched up - she did her best to help Abby, Kane and Sinclair who was now fashioning a large rectangle square cotton band aid along his forehead, to bring the Ark's remaining survivors to a better location, they found shade just outside the Mecha Station's infrastructure a short time ago and the view before them was mesmerising; a surrounding forest, a big blue lake and mountains. _So many secrets and plant life to be rediscovered, out there just waiting for you!_ Nola kept thinking to herself. In time but not yet. Soon she would get to work again, this time _on_ the Earth, not _above_ it.

Now that Nola's brain had slowed down, her mind wandered to the man with the thick dark hair, deep brown eyes and a sprinkle of freckles along his cheeks. She wondered what he was doing. Was he safe? Was he happy? Was he with his sister? What was he doing? Was he with someone _? No! Stop it! Nola you shouldn't be thinking about a boy. You don't have time to think about him. He is a distraction, what good will thinking about him do? You don't even know if he's alive?_ With those words Nola shoved thoughts of the man to the back of her mind.

Her childhood crush, once her friend, the delinquent, Bellamy Blake.


	2. Chapter 2

_As she ran down the corridor of the ark, her lungs were burning. She'd lost feeling in her legs a while ago but knew her feet were still there from the loud footsteps that echoed through the hallway. Nola didn't know how much longer she could keep running and the guards were catching up to her. As she would run around a corner she would catch a glimpse of the guards catching up to her._

 _She rounded the familiar corner near her secret hideout, hooked a left at the T intersection and ran into the room beside it, in that room was a vent that wasn't screwed in, she ran to it, pulled it off, slipped inside – careful not no make any noise – and began crawling._

 _After about 10 minutes she crawled down the ventilation tunnels, normally she would've taken an exit earlier her but she hadn't finished her adventure just yet. Today she would explore a new territory of the Ark and see where the vent would take her, but it wasn't far. Nola reached the end of the tunnel, went to push the vent open but found it wouldn't budge. Lying on her back she kicked at it with her feet, not worrying about the noise and eventually it came loose and she got out of the vent and stretched her limbs._

 _What faced Nola wasn't what she had expected at all, it certainly wasn't who anyways. In front of Nola was a boy maybe a couple years older. He had an odd look on his face. Surprise, embarrassment and interest mixed together. The last thing he had probably expected to see was a girl crawl out of a ventilation tunnel, covered in grease, hair in all different direction, wearing a pretty blue dress with a grin of accomplishment covering her face._

 _"Hi, I'm Nola, Who are you?" She asked, his face wasn't familiar to her. She smiled at him as though she hadn't just come out of a vent. Trying to decipher him, her eyes drifted down to discover that he was holding a book, a book about flowers! It was a bit a bit odd, for a boy to have it anyways._

 _"I uh… My name is Bellamy" he said while she studied him, he'd never seen a girl like her before, but then again he'd never seen a girl crawl out of a ventilation shaft, dressed like a prissy girl but as dirty as tom boy._

Nola woke from her dream of a happy memory, the first time she met the Blake boy. He was certainly good company when they were children, however their friendship changed rather fast a couple years back when his sister got discovered and his mother got floated. Nola always had a feeling that there was more to Bellamy Blake than she thought.

The repetitive sound of banging in the morning broke her away from her thought, she would have preferred to sleep to the end of that precious memory but that wasn't the case. Instead she got up with a moan of being woken up so early to hear the constant noise of banging against metal and wood that wouldn't be leaving anytime soon

About 3 weeks had passed since the Ark survivors had landed on Earth. Since then, the remaining people from the Mecha Station had met up with the survivors of Alpha Station. There had been a lot of construction taking place around the station, salvaging parts that had been scattered, building new outdoor living quarters, fixing what they could from the old Alpha station and the building of an outdoor eating area – not that there was much food available.

Nola had been busy herself, sure she tried her best to help out with the builders but she wasn't a big fan of it. She found that her skill set would be more beneficial elsewhere. Abby had been busy being doctor, Kane had been hard at work with the builders, making good use of his body and motivational skills and Sinclair was knee deep in work trying to get the communications systems to work, in the hopes that we could get in contact with the other stations.

To Nola's knowledge only two out of eight stations had found each other, those being the Mecha Station that Nola had landed on and the Alpha Station where she was now. Sinclair hadn't been able to get a message to the Farm Station but he knew it had survived because there was a connection, but it had been damaged on the farm stations side, from his understanding, there probably wasn't anyone that knew how to fix it and with no way of knowing where they were they wouldn't be able to find them.

The remaining Power, Hydra, Prison (Sky Box), Factory and Arrow Stations had no communication output; Sinclair believed that they were unlucky. When the Ark Community was told that they were going to Earth, they were naively told that there was no way to tell which Stations would survive the landing. Nola knew that the Power Station was unlikely to survive. Although it generated majority of the electrical power used on the Ark. It was unable to function properly after the Unity Day mutiny due to damages and wouldn't be able to successfully activate the propulsion jets to slow the Ark to the safe landing speed.

The Hydra station had also been severely damaged during Unity Day. Its 4th bulb must have exploded during the process to get to Earth, which led to its destruction. The wreckage from the Hydra Station was heartbreaking; the entire station had been spread far along a field. It had been a brutal landing and unlucky to all who were on board. The engineers that Nola once called baboons when she believed that her work was more efficient than theirs would've been on that station, trying to fix it before heading to Earth.

It had been one of Nola's favourite places to go during her internship when she was 14, although the hydroponics where meant for the crops and gardens on the farm station, all water related operations were to remain at the Hydra Station. Her experiments there were purely to improve the quality of the gardens. At the thought of old memories that were once joyful her heart felt heavy with a wave of sadness that she wasn't prepared to deal with. What had happened to the remaining stations was unknown, however she had survived, many had survived and for that she was grateful.

A few hours had passed, midday was approaching and Nola had been busy doing her research beside Sinclair. He was good company; the two minded their own business but had light conversation throughout their time together. Her books had been damages during the landing – her blood soaking into some of the pages was a nuisance but she would still be able to use them. Beside her were some plants she found on the outskirts of camp, she was studying them and writing as much as she could in her blank books, reflecting her past research of earth studies into them, trying to figure out what this plant that had clearly evolved with radioactivity was originally.

"Do you ever do anything else besides research about plants?" a voice echoed through the room, Nola's head spun around to see the face of Kane, back on the Ark he always had a flair of arrogance to his words, however since landing on Earth that arrogance seemed to have vanished. Maybe he was simply grateful to be on land.

"Of course I do, I can do almost everything that the builders are doing outside, I just choose not to. My skills are better served researching rather than mindlessly hammering at nails to create an unstable table that will wobble whenever there is food on it." She responded, trying to take the tension out of it. She is proud of being Head Botanist, however people seem to think she does it all the time simply because she's incapable of doing anything else. Because of that, Nola finds herself getting defensive about the topic whenever it occurs.

Kane thought about her words, there is plenty that he could have said and bickered about but something in his eyes said otherwise. Instead of grabbing her tension and throwing it back at her like he would've on the Ark, he simply grabbed a bit a redirected it back at her. "Speaking of food, it seems that there is still a shortage. I would have thought that with all that research you have been doing, there would be more food to test out that _unstable table_ " he quoted, waiting to see how she responded.

The man was pushing all of her buttons, there was so much new information that made her research _almost_ out-dated but it only delayed her actions. Nola wanted to be absolutely certain that if she offered them food, there would be no harm.

"Yes, but I believe that we aren't vegetarians, meat is also required for a healthy diet, I would've thought that with all the construction underway that the workers would be craving meat, rather than salad. How has the hunting team been going with that? As you know, we only have the few seed packets that I was able to store in my backpack when we came to Earth, most of what we need to successfully grow crops are on the Farm station. Thankfully Sinclair believes that the Farm station survived, it's just a matter of time before we find them, isn't it?" Nola knew that there was more about the topic to say but a look from Sinclair said that if she kept speaking it would bite her in the backside.

"Well, you are in luck then Noelene McCarthy, I had originally come in here to mention to you that a team is going out to search another part of a wreckage. We believe it broke off the Farm station and perhaps there will be something of use for you there. However, we don't know what we should be looking for, I think it would be a good idea if you joined us for this little expedition." He ended, staring her in the eyes, waiting for her response, avoiding her mention of meat. The hunting team had been unsuccessful thus far. One of the men ended up breaking his leg on a tree root.

Nola nodded "Very well." And with that Kane left the room, mentioning that they will be leaving through the front gate in twenty. Leaving her to gather her belongings.

Moments later Abby entered peering though the door "Nola, can I have a moment? I'd like to replace your bandage before you head off" Since Nola had already packed her things she followed Abby to her temporary med hut until her new one had been built.

Nola sat on the bench, hoping it wouldn't give out beneath her as Abby instructed her to lay down on her side and pull up her shirt, she did so.

"You're a gutsy girl Nola. Not many twenty-one year olds can confidently stand up against an adult like Kane. I know you grew up fast and you didn't have a choice I know, but remember that if you ever want, I'll be around, I always will be."

Nola looked over her shoulder to see Abby's face, she had certainly offered purely because she was a mother and felt the need to look out for Nola since the doctor and her mother were good friends, almost sisters joined by the hip in some ways. "Thankyou, I appreciate it" she said with a subtle smile and turned her head back to face the wall while the doctor finished up with the bandage.

"Ready?" Kane said as he took a step outside of the camp with a group of about seven other members of the guard and a Young man with blonde hair who looked eager to get into the swing of things.

Nola nodded and they began their trek into the woods, eager to see what awaits them. As they made their way towards the woods, Nola turned to see Abby watching her, the woman looked concerned. Nola faced the doctor, waved and continued on her trek.

About an hour into the walk and Nola's feet were staring to hurt, the team hadn't stopped and continued to walk in a fast pace, trying to be as efficient as possible and reach the supposed part of the farm station in the hopes of salvaging as much as possible.

Each team member carried a small backpack, not enough room to store books but just enough to carry a water bottle, some food packs from the Ark and a small knife in the side pocket for easy access. Nola highly doubted the need for it since she, Kane and the young man called 'Jinks' _odd name_ she thought, were surrounded by the old Ark Guards who each carried a gun with plenty of ammunition in their pockets. Nola never liked guns, too noisy and anyone could use them, tranquilisers were better in her opinion, silent but deadly, like an arrow and required special training so no regular fool could use them. Bow and Arrow fascinated her, she was intrigued by their efficiency and precision, how their resources could be created using the material surrounding her – trees. The trees around her were high and steady, none leant or showed damage, they were beautiful.

As Nola let her eyes wonder up the trees she thought she saw a flicker of movement but it was soon discarded when she heard someone snort beside her. She spun her head to face the perpetrator who snorted at her curiosity. _Jinks_. The young man, about twenty-three tried to hide his behaviour when he noticed her eyes burning into his. Nola's defensiveness had shot through the roof, she was just about to ask him why he thought it was funny but was stopped. Regardless of wether she was looking up at the trees or glaring at Jinks, she still would've run into the guard who had pulled up in front of her causing her to lose her balance a bit.

The guard had his hand up and a few others were standing in different directions, guns raised with backs straight with tension. Kane was about three feet in front of her and about to speak when an arrow whistled through the air and penetrated the guard on her left side. Her head spun around to his dead body, an arrow sticking out of his throat, thinking back to her thought only moments ago about archery, not fully realising that they were under attack until Kane shouted for them all to retreat, pushing her back into the direction of the camp.

Arrows were shooting from different directions but none were close enough to Nola to cause damage. To say she was a fast runner would be an under statement, her lungs and throat burned from exertion and her legs still hadn't recovered from the hike. She was in the middle of the group, Kane slightly in front. The arrows were slowly thinning out the group from the back to the front, Jinks was behind her, he was panting hard and kept stumbling on the roots making him a harder target to get. Just as she thought an arrow would penetrate his throat or back like the last few, he stumbled and screamed as an arrow pierced his thigh.

Nola couldn't understand but she faltered in her step and before she knew what was happening she was running back to Jinks. Thinking she should've heard shouts from Kane but nothing, they hadn't noticed she'd turned around. None of the others that were behind her and Jinks had survived, they all received swift deaths but Jinks was crying loudly like a child, not one in pain but one that was throwing a tantrum, did he not realise he was on the verge of dying? Just as she was about to reach him an arrow pierced the back of his head. Jinks was dead.

The moment Jinks' body hit the ground hard and lifeless, Nola fell on her backside in a stupor as to what had just happened. She was brought out of her senses when an arrow just missed her face, the fletching scratching her cheek and penetrated the ground just behind her. In a quick action Nola spun around, launched herself off the ground – using the momentum to pull the arrow out - and started running for her life again.

When she had spun around Nola saw only trees, she knew there was no way to find the rest of the team. If they were still alive there was no way they would turn back for her. Even with the guns they would all die, the targets were too well trained. It was pointless.

In her frantic run for survival, hand clenching the arrow shaft hard, Nola would sprint and jog in all different directions, taking the advice from Jinks and being inconsistent, but keeping track of where her feet go, knowing that they could shoot her legs at any time.

The intensity of flying arrows had dwindled but they were still shooting with the same strong precision since the beginning. These were warriors shooting her. Kane had mentioned that there were other survivors from Earth, _Grounders_ they were called _,_ people who never left and the people who the 100 were battling against for survival. Now Nola was running for her life from these people.

How had the Hundred survived this long? Had they won against these people? Where were they now? How can she survive?

At those thoughts Nola had been distracted for a moment, without noticing the decent into a gully she tripped on a root and tumbled down, hitting the ground hard on her back.

Had the decent been a slope she would've been fine but it was more of a mini cliff edge, the slope had eroded away and the fall left Nola severely winded. She had landed flat on her back, arms and legs sprawled out and her head resting in something soft and wet, probably mud.

At the thought of mud, Nola grabbed handfuls of mud and rubbed it over her body while she lay flat, realising that she wouldn't be able to move her body for a while she did her best for camouflage her body into the ground, praying that this wouldn't result in an infection if she survives. Thankfully the fall had meant the Grounders lost sight of her but she knew it wouldn't be long before they caught her trail again. Nola had to move fast. Grabbing as much of the mud over her body as she could, she smoothed the muddy puddle over to make it look like she hadn't just scraped a hole in it. Looking down at her body she realised that she wasn't well hidden yet. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a leafy branch that must have fallen a short time ago, the leaves had already started to brown so it blended in well with the environment – perfect.

Dragging her winded body to the branch – trying not to mark the ground - she did her best to hide herself under it, against the bank. Hoping, praying that she would make it though and seen the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

_"Hi, I'm Nola, Who are you?" She asked, her face wasn't familiar to him. As she stared at him, trying, her eyes drifted down to discover that he was holding a book, a book about flowers he got from the library to ready to Octavia, the truth behind the book made him squirm with discomfort._

 _"I um... My name is Bellamy" he said while she studied him. He'd never seen a girl like her before, but then again he'd never seen a girl crawl out of a ventilation shaft, dressed like a prissy girl but as dirty as tomboy._

 _He hoped she'd stop staring at him, he felt uncomfortable as it was holding a flower book even if it was for Octavia, but he wouldn't tell a living soul that. No. It was for homework._

 _"That's a good book, its one of my favourites." Nola said as she studied the cover, it was old, and well used; she must have known he borrowed it from the library._

 _"Its for my homework..." Bellamy responded to the girl, thinking of ways to escape as soon as possible without hurting her feelings. However that was soon thwarted when he saw her eyes light up._

 _"Is your homework about photosynthesis? I love plants, everything about them I think they're so fascinating. Did you know that sunflowers on earth would follow the direction of the sun? It doesn't say in that book, but there is another book that could help more…." As Nola rambled on, Bellamy began to think she was really weird, but there was a part he also found interesting, he didn't understand much of what she was talking about, the topic had definitely veered from photosynthesis and now she was talking about mosses and hydroponics versus Aquaponics. She probably didn't even realise she was rambling._

 _"I mean, Aquaponics would be more efficient, but fish are too hard to sustain in the living environment, if we were to take away gravity for some reason, they would not survive- oh geez. I'm so sorry, I ramble so much, my mum always told me I do it whenever I'm talking about botany and horticulture but I just can't help myself it's just - sorry I'm doing it again…" Nola was beginning to look very embarrassed. Bellamy hadn't even responded to whether it was about photosynthesis._

 _"It's okay, it's cute. Most of the girls in my class are stupid; they aren't full of fun facts like you are. Thanks for the info about the sunflowers, I didn't know that, but its good to know now" Bellamy smiled, she was an odd girl, he knew that, but she was nice, friendly too. Just as he began to continue walking she ran out in front of him, causing him to slam on the breaks. She stared him straight in the eye, embracing the silence between the two. Seconds passed and Bellamy was contemplating walking around her. Suddenly she pulled a little book out of a hidden pocket of her dress and hands it out to him, expecting him to take it._

 _"What is it?" he asked curiously, it wasn't a diary was it? Those things were scary._

 _"It's a Diary! Well, my plant diary anyway, I write down all the cool facts I discover, you can use it, if you want?" She smiled_

 _Bellamy was considering telling her that the book was never for homework, which he originally hoped he'd scared her off with, but that hadn't worked. He was about to reject the offer, but then he thought of Octavia, she would love to read something like this. Yes, he will borrow it._

 _Bellamy took the book, with the intention of returning it to her in a couple days, thanked her and then walked off, leaving her in the corridor with a smile of her face as she spun around and walked away in the opposite direction. She was weird, but he liked her._

Bellamy groggily woke from his dream, sweating a bit from the humidity from the dense trees surrounding him. Why had he dreamt of her? He wondered. It had been a long time since she had crossed his mind, he'd been too busy both on the Ark and on Earth to consider her tainting his thoughts, thinking about her normally made him grumpy but instead he had a slight smile, she was a good kid when they were young, they spent some good times together but things changed and they stopped spending time together, eventually they just avoided each other like the plague. Something certainly changed between them over the last few years, but too much had happened to pick one cause behind it. It was a good dream though, and dreams were rare in these times.

Returning to reality, the slight smile from Bellamy's face vanished and his guarded behaviour resurfaced. He'd met up with Monroe and Sterling the day before and they had been moving since, searching for other survivors. They had only a few hours to rest and then they'd be moving again.

Were beginning to think they were the only survivors in the area until Monroe caught a glimpse of a horse being ridden by someone. Nudging Bellamy's arm to grab his direction, the three of them started stalking the figure on the horse, soon realising the two survivors being strung along by rope handcuffs. The figures were hobbling along, exhausted but alive. Bellamy noticed instantly one of the faces to be Finn's.

The three stalked the horseback grounder and his two prisoners, waiting for the right opportunity to intervene. Monroe and Sterling and himself came to a halt after seeing one of the prisoners collapsing and getting his throat slit. Doubling the need to save Finn, and fast. They needed a plan if this rescue was to work.

With a plan in mind to save Finn, Bellamy tells the other two that he'll distract the Grounder while they free Finn, Monroe and Sterling were obviously hesitance about his plan but he tried to encourage them by reminding them that they're warriors.

Realising that it was now or never Bellamy raced out to confront the Grounder, throwing a spear at him, and missing, then realising that Monroe and Sterling had abandoned him. Anger builded up inside him as he looked around for his so called _team_ only to be thrown back by the grounders weapon, winded, then repeatedly beaten until submissive and bloody, joining Finn with his own set of rope handcuffs to be pulled from behind the horse.

Feeling deflated, Bellamy grudgingly followed behind the grounder and his horse, occasionally being tugged to make sure he was still obedient. Bellamy's mind had drifted while they walked. Why had his team abandoned him, knowing that he was going to follow through with his plans? His frustration turned to anger.

On the verge of attacking the grounder on his horse, he faltered at the sound of two people screaming and running his way: Monroe and Sterling. An almost sense of pride welled up inside him, spurring him on to beat the grounder to a pulp with the knowledge that he had the teams back and vice versa. Preparing his footing to attack the grounder his body froze as a loud shot rang through his hears, and another, both blowing holes through the grounders head, making sure that the grounder was dead. Bellamy, Finn, Monroe and Sterling searched their surroundings, trying to spot other members of the hundred but were surprised to find Kane – with an injured hand- and a few members of the Ark's guard behind him, lowering their guns at the sight of the hundred before them.

"We're here now. Everything's going to be okay." Kane said confidently, although clearly a light shaken by something. He wasn't the only one. They looked like they'd been running through the woods in the hope of finding something or someone else but they didn't seem to be spilling the beans anytime soon.

Kane knelt over the body of the dead grounder, confirming to a member of the guard that he was definitely dead, not that he could've survived two bullets to the brains. A whistle rang out from a guard and more figures emerged from behind the trees, people of the Ark, survivors, about twenty of them.

Abigail Griffin was the first to reach Bellamy and Fin. "Have a seat" she said with a concerned look on her face.

"I'm fine" he protested, "I need to get back to the drop ship." He said as he began to turn around.

The doctor grabbed his arm with a vice grip "Hey. Where is Clarke?" she asked, although in his eyes he could see it was more of a demand than a question.

Finn was the first to respond, as he was with anything related to Clarke "She was there when we left. We'll take you to her." He said as relief mixed with anticipation spread along her face at the idea of seeing her daughter after so long.

The three began to walk back in the direction of the drop ship when Kane stopped them "Wait." He said walking passed them to a man Bellamy didn't recognise. "Sinclair. We're splitting up. Half will come with me, the rest of you keep searching for her while you make your way back to Alpha Station. We'll follow you as soon as we can." He said with assertiveness, with these people Bellamy thought he may have been the new chancellor, but that wasn't what had his attention. Kane mentioned a female, who were they looking for? Did they lose someone? Was she important? Bellamy was curious. Maybe it was a grounder they had captive? But they didn't look like they were the capturing type at the moment.

Sinclair nodded "Yes Sir" and began walking back with half of the group while the rest headed in the direction of the drop ship.

The two had a quiet conversation, mentioning the girl and Jaha then separated "Six of you come with me, the rest head back with Sinclair. Keep your eyes peeled." he said "You two, lead the way." Eyeing Bellamy and Finn, Monroe and Sterling following behind the boys.

Finn led the way up the slope to the drop ship. Bellamy right behind him and Kane's team following.

"It's too quiet" Bellamy said, thinking out loud. But it was true, there should've been noise, the sound of people or birds even but nothing, they herd only silence. Bellamy was going to head up to the drop ship but a hand grabbed his arm holding him in place, he turned to face Kane "We'll take it from here." He said with his usual assertiveness. "Banks, Scanlon, you stay with them. We'll signal once we're sure it's safe." He said as he began his accent up the hill to the drop ship.

Bellamy did not like that he was being treated like a child again. As though, now that the adults have landed the _kids_ can take it easy. That wouldn't be happening, they had been through far too much to sit by now. Bellamy looked over to Finn and could see he was thinking the same thing.

Minutes passed and the two were getting anxious. "We need a stretcher!" they heard, Finn instantly spurring towards the Drop Ship, only to be stopped by the guards. With a quick look from Finn to Bellamy the two sprinted in the opposite direction, heading for one of the secret tunnels, not stopping until they were through.

Crawling through he other end of the tunnel Finn and Bellamy stopped abruptly at what was before their eyes. Bellamy wasn't sure what they would face when they got there, he knew there would be bodies but he had expected that the hundred would be mulling around, gathering what was salvageable, getting rid of the bodies and cleaning up. Instead he saw a deserted area that held no living people, only black, charred bodies, with the occasional unburnt body decaying underneath their feet. "Where is everybody?" but there was no answer to his question.

"It was awful, so awful. There were hundreds of them. If it wasn't for Raven, I don't know what would've happened." Bellamy recognised the voice instantly, walking towards Murphy he tried to remain calm. Even though he felt far from it. Bellamy was fuming. How could this shrimp survive when he had no idea what had happened to his friends, or if they were even alive?

Once he was a few feet away he could no longer supress his anger. Murphy raised his eyes to meet Bellamy's and responded with a fake "Bellamy? You're Alive." But he never got to finish those words because Bellamy launched himself at the bloodied boy and screamed at him on the ground that he was _a son of a bitch_ and punched him hard in the face and hearing a satisfying crack from his nose, completely ignoring Finn shouting at him to stop. Murphy deserved every bit of this punishment and he wasn't going to stop. He didn't want to. But an electric shock vibrated through his body and deep into his bones while casting him into the dirt, shaking in his skin from the aftermath of being electrocuted from Kane.

"Place him under arrest." was all that Kane said. Finn tried to protest saying how _Murphy murdered two of our people_ and how he _shot another one_ and how he _tried to hang Bellamy_. But Kane didn't care. Telling Finn that "They were not animals, and that there are rules. Laws." And telling Bellamy that he was not in control anymore. Bellamy couldn't argue with that at all. Where was Kane during all those times that the hundred turned to Bellamy for leadership? Kane was sitting in a council seat, mulling over trivial matters about the Ark.

Two people came out of the drop ship while carrying Raven in a stretcher, Finn raced over to her and Abby met him there. Raven looked like she was on death's row. Bellamy heard Abby say that she was surprised Raven was still alive considering how much blood she had lost but Bellamy was more upset to hear that there was no one else on the drop ship. Everyone really had left. But they wouldn't do that. Would they? Not willingly. These thoughts plagued him on the walk back to the station. Bellamy never wanted to leave the drop ship but Finn was determined that the Grounders had taken their people and that they needed to get reinforcements and supplies form the station to go out and find them. Bellamy agreed to a degree, but he knew that more would be dead if they went after the grounders to find their friends.

After a couple hours of walking, Bellamy arrived at Alpha Station – Renamed Camp Jaha. The sight was welcomed, so many people, alive and well. Families had gathered at the entrance, waiting to see their children that were apart of the hundred but disappointment spread along all of their faces when they realised that their kids weren't there. As Bellamy was escorted past the entrance, he could see that others were building, mingling and cooking, there might not have been anywhere near as many people as there were on the Ark but there were survivors.

"Have you found her yet?" Abby asked as Kane and Sinclair shook hands, greeting each other. A look of sadness appeared on Sinclair's face, he shook his head and a frown showed up on both Kane and Abby's faces. This caught Bellamy's attention as he approached them, he didn't care that he would be prying or that the guards would pull him back into place, he wanted to know and the secrecy was irritating him.

"Who's missing?" he asked Kane as he approached, a hint of surprise from Abby from sudden his confrontation.

Kane, being the man he is looked at Bellamy and said "That is none of your concern Bellamy." He said as he began walking away but Bellamy wasn't done yet, a look from Abby and he realised that it was someone he knew. He pursued Kane and asked with his crowd controlling voice "If it's one of our people from the hundred, I have the right to know."

The man who seemed to be the new chancellor spun around, looked him dead in the eye and assured him that "It wasn't one of the hundred" as he began to turn back around and continue towards the builders. "Then who is it!" he shouted out of built up frustration. He hadn't expected Kane's response at all, he glanced his head over his shoulder and said in a quieter voice to Bellamy "It's our head Botanist. Noelene McCarthy." And with that Kane left the conversation to head to the builders to see what the commotion was. Leaving Bellamy alone, his mind racing and heart pounding. Nola was out there. Missing. Why did he care so much about that when there was so much more at stake than the missing gardener?


	4. Chapter 4

Hours have passed since Nola caked her self in mud and hid under a branch. The sun was setting and the cold breeze would be here soon. Nola hadn't planned to be out this long and she certainly hadn't planned for things to go down hill like this either.

 _Shortly after lying against the gully wall behind a leafy branch, Nola could hear footsteps heading in her direction. Her heart was racing and all her body wanted to do was shake from nerves, she forced her body to stay still, calmed her breathing and tried not to make a noise. She was scared, much more than before. The group of warriors were probably out scouting the area at the time. Instead they are now hunting a girl through the woods that they know inside and out but are completely new to her._

 _The footsteps grew louder and Nola could hear voices above her, she couldn't understand them, they weren't speaking English. Had a new language been created while they were in the ark? That must have been the case, otherwise Nola would've been able to pick out certain sounds from other languages, she certainly couldn't speak another language but there were various words she'd picked up on over the years. Not knowing at all what they were saying was terrifying. Did they know where she was? Were they going to wait around and find out? Were they going to keep looking? Had they found her track? There was no way to tell. All Nola could do was stay perfectly still, be quiet and wait to see what they do._

Nola had heard them leave the area about an hour ago, if she waited any longer it would be too dark to see anything on her way back and she would die the minute they found her. But then again if she did wait until dark to make her move, she could quietly slip away unnoticed if she was careful enough not to make loud noises. If she stayed where she was for the night, they would surely find her and kill her in her sleep.

After deciding on the second option, to wait until dark and sneak away, Nola surveyed the area. Thankfully she still had her backpack with the small knife. She'd nearly blown her cover while crawling to the branch after her fall but she grabbed her arrow on the way over to where she is now.

After memorising as much as she could see and giving time for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, she made her move.

Luckily the sky was filled with stars tonight and no sign of the moon, which was perfect. It was just bright enough to see but not bright enough to give away her location. She slid out from under the branch, this time covering her back with mud in the process. Shortly after, Nola got up and started walking along the gully wall, careful to stay out of the direct light from the night sky.

It was quiet, almost too quiet. There was the occasional sound of an animal scurrying away in the distance, or the sound of a bird in its nest being startled by _hopefully_ something rather than someone.

Nola's nerves were spinning out of control but she forced herself to remain calm and keep walking. The ground had begun to get more and more muddy and the sucking noise from her boots was loud, she knew she would have to climb out of the gully at the soon as possible. If she were to meet water, which she would like to welcome it in exchange for the suctioning noise from the mud, she wouldn't find relief. Nola, like many of the Ark community, couldn't swim. And who knows what could be living in the water.

In the distance Nola could see a fallen tree that looked sturdy enough to climb out of the gully with. After deciding to pursue it she marched through the mud towards it. Aware that she was now knee deep in water and slowly increasing, she pushed on hoping that it wouldn't be too deep before she reached the tree. She was doing fairly well up until she took a step and plunged into deep water.

Realising that there was little hope in learning to swim in that moment she let herself sink, hoping that her plan would work. Thankfully her feet hit the bottom quickly and she lunged her feet up to the surface gasping for air and grabbing onto the closest item she could get her hands on.

Grabbing a root that was sticking out of the soil Nola gripped onto it for her life. Looking around she felt suddenly lost. How would she reach the fallen tree without drowning? Looking around she spotted a tree root that ran along the wall of the gully and met up at the stump of the tree but it was just that bit too far to reach. An idea struck Nola, _the arrow_ she thought. She could use it to climb that little further along the wall to reach the root, by digging the arrow into the wall and using it to reach across to the next root. It was risky but it could work. If she angled it high enough it would hold longer and support her better. And with that she got to work.

Nola ran her hand along the wall feeling for areas that would be too unstable to hitch the arrow in, parts of the wall gave out under her grip but there was a patch of firm clay above a rather large rock in the wall that she could use, grabbing her little knife out of the side pocket of her wet backpack she started stabbing an 'X' into the clay above the rock, after she was satisfied she grabbed the arrow, plunged it into the wall, secured it, tested it and deemed it capable of her plan.

Preparing to jump, she pressed her back against the gully wall, one hand on the root and the other on the arrow. Getting a good grip and steadying her breathing, she jumped. Nola used the arrow and her feet to push along the wall to the other root that would take her to the tree. She almost had her hand on the root when the large rock gave way under the weight from her on the arrow. Losing her grip on the arrow she stretched both her hands towards the root barely grabbing it as the rock caused a large splash as it hit the water, echoing through the gully. Cursing herself she worked as fast as she could towards the tree, hoping that no beast of grounder would find her.

As Nola shuffled along the root, her feet dangled under the water. Her body was submerged up to her waist and the cold water was making her body shake something fierce. Nola pushed through, determined to get out of the water as soon as she could. She was about a metre away from the tree and she heard another splash in the water. She wasn't alone. Moving frantically along the root she stretched out her hand to grab the tree when she was suddenly felt a strong tug from her foot. It wasn't sharp but it was strong. Nola could feel herself losing grip as the beast pulled at her body.

Before thinking Nola moved her other foot to the force pulling her and she began kicking. She kicked as hard as she could, grunting as her body was tugged closer to the water. Losing grip of the root with one of her hands, she grabbed the small knife and stabbed her knife into the force that gripped her. It had slimy flesh that sent shivers up her spine. After repeatedly stabbing at the slimy flesh, the beast began to lose its grip on her leg. Nola was almost shoulder deep in the water at this point and needed to get away from this thing. Kicking as hard as she could the beast fled the scene.

Nola didn't want to be in the water any longer than she had to she frantically climbed out of the water and onto the tree. Climbing onto the tree was a bit difficult as there was some sort of moss growing on it making it slippery, reminding her of the time she fell out of a tree on the ark and breaking her arm. Nola was much more careful this time around. Once she had a strong grip, she began to climb, grabbing a bit of moss and shoving it into her pocket for research later on.

After getting out of the gully, now covered in mud from head to toe and soaking wet from her little dip in the water, she shivered in the cold night winds. Nola was tough, but she never liked the cold, not when she couldn't rug up and get warm.

After walking for a while Nola had come to the conclusion that she hadn't been followed. Sure the grounders had probably heard the rock fall in the water but she had lost her arrow in there too, the fletching still had her blood on it from when it hit the side of her cheek, it would've floated so maybe the grounders would think she was dead and the rock had fallen on her body as she sunk to the bottom of the water. That would be nice, she thought. But she didn't stop. Not when she knew the night would only be getting colder, the cold would settle into her bones and she would get sick.

Nola had been walking for a few hours, it was about midnight but she could only judge from what she felt. Hunger had started to settle in about an hour ago. Deciding that it was time to eat a food pack from the Ark, Nola moved to lean against a tree to search in her backpack for the packet but as she leant against the tree she kept falling back until, with a thud, she landed on a tree root. Nola moaned as she rolled off the tree root, she knew it would bruise but she was more interested as to why her back met the floor rather than the tree.

As she looked up from the ground she noticed a gap in the tree, not large enough to be obvious but enough to fit two bodies inside comfortably. Taking advantage of it she gathered some different sized sticks around the area, returned to the tree and sat in a curve. She pulled off her wet jacket off and hung the muddy side over the opening of the tree's gap to hide the flame if she was successful in making a small fire. She aced Earth Skills but had never been able to action those skills, fire was never allowed on the Ark, too much could go wrong. But not on Earth, now was her time to shine. Even if it was on her own, covered in mud, smelling like something had died. But she was alive.

It had gotten to a point of anger with starting the fire, because of the darkness in the tree she couldn't see which branches would work and she could barely see what she was doing at all but she persisted. After a fair amount of time she relished in the small flames in front of her. She hadn't seen a real fire before so it was fascinating to watch. Nola deemed her tree safe from outsiders; she pulled off her long-sleeved shirt and hung it above the flame even though it made her bare skin shiver to the core. She hoped the fire would dry it out, or at least dry the mud on it.

After having had her meal while huddled close to the fire, her mind began to wander. How had she ended up in such a silly situation? She was such a walnut for turning around and going to help Jinks. She never even knew the guy and he was grating on her nerves right up until the Grounders attacked the team. Her mother was right. She really ought to stop doing things on her own. The situation was already biting her in the ass.

At the thought of her mother Diana she quickly shoved all her thoughts to the back of her mind and flipped her shirt over to start drying the mud on the other side. Nola had already pulled off her socks and boots and hung them beside the small fire. Her feet were cold but she angled them closer towards the fire to keep them warm while they were bare. At this point Nola was sitting in the dirt, inside a tree, wearing only her bra and pants. In this moment she knew she would be screwed if the grounders found her, but she didn't care. She wanted warm, dry clothes, even at the cost of her being cold.

 _"Look! It's the gardener! She even smells like one, that's so gross, no wonder you have no friends!" the group of young teenagers laughed as one of them pushed Nola to the ground, scattering her books around the deserted hallway._

 _The day was just about finished and Nola was heading home from her internship with Doctor Alfred. Her new herbs were sprouting, she had some common herbs and some medical ones too, Doctor Alfred was pleased with her progress and knowledge. He was like the grandfather she never had, warm-hearted, friendly, knowledgeable and encouraging. He was very different from the kids that stood in front of her. Prats._

 _There were about five of them, two girls – one from Nola's Earth Studies class and the other one, unfamiliar to Nola but the girl gazed at one of the boys that were towering over her, Nola presumed the girl had a thing for the boy. The three boys in front of her were always rude to her. Two of them were in one of her classes and the one in the middle 'Toby' was in all of her classes. He was always a show off but he wasn't very clever. Nola knew that and that made him angry, he always had a temper when things didn't go his way and today was a perfect example of that._

 _"I do have friends! And they're smarter than all of you baboons! Especially the silly girls following you around like lost puppies!" She shouted, her day had been going so well up until now and she didn't want them to soil it. (no pun intended)_

 _At her words the girls went to lunge at her but two of the boys held them back. Instead of just going and wrecking her books like they usually did, today the boy Toby walked up to her like he was a mafia boss, grabbed her collar, heaved her up, just high enough that her feet were slightly off the ground, and gave her a death stare that sent shivers down her spine. He had never threatened her. But then again she had never talked back to him, she waited to see what he would do but instead he brought his face up close to hers and said a few cold words that she would never forget._

 _"No, you have no friends. If you did, they would be here right now. Instead, you are alone, like you always will be, because no one likes you enough to stick around in your life."_

 _With that he threw her onto the ground and left with his possie. Leaving her there to gather her damaged spirit and broken books. This hadn't been the first time she had been bullied and it certainly wasn't the last but this time hurt the most. Because he was right, she was alone._

Nola quickly woke from her slumber, it was very early morning, and the sun was on the verge of rising. She knew it was going to be a big day for her, Nola hadn't planned to fall asleep at all but exhaustion took control.

Pulling her long-sleeved shirt over her head the dried mud cracked off onto the ground and she brushed off the remaining loose clumps of mud still attached. Satisfied with her less muddy shirt she pulled on her dry socks and muddy boots. Grabbing her knife she scraped the large clumps of mud off the sides and sole of her shoes, leaving the mud in the grooves to mask her track and leave her shoes with an almost flat sole.

Ready to leave she gave her jacket a shake and pulled it over the top of he backpack, thinking it will hide the shiny buckles better, and left the safety of the tree.

She ate a meal packet while she walked, careful no to make too much noise with the plastic packet and had a sip of water afterwards. Nola had to be scarce with her food now. When they left she had six packets, now she has four. She has no idea where she was and no idea where to find the Alpha Station.

After walking for a few hours she decided that going around aimlessly was a flawed plan that would only use up her energy. She needed to find a stream or something that she could follow in the hopes of finding a landmark that would give her an indication of where she was. But which direction would something like that be in? Looking around she decided to go to the left of the direction she was originally heading and towards the mountains.

Feet aching, legs burning, heavy sweating, Nola had begun to regret the idea to head up a mountain. They didn't look that high but she was definitely deceived. After about an hour or so she was considering changing her plan. She was about to turn back around when she saw two legs on the ground behind a tree. Curiosity got the better of her as she headed towards the body, even though she knew it would be safer to turn and run the other way, but she had to know who it was.

As she neared the body she froze in her step as she saw the body of a familiar person who had been dead for a long time, a spear sticking out of him. But that wasn't what had her heart beating so hard. It was the face. The face of her bully, one of The Hundred sent down to the ground, even though he should've been floated since he was almost twenty. Toby was lying there decaying and alone with a look of pain and fear spread across his face.

Nola laughed dryly at the face of the body. If it weren't for his mothers influence, he would've been dead before he hit the Earth. Only difference now was that he had a spear sticking out of his chest, a weapon that Nola could use to her advantage. They were both alone, only one of them was still alive. She stepped closer and removed the spear then kept walking. Wondering how a delinquent like him could have strayed from the drop ship. Maybe it was closer than she knew, but in what direction?

Now with a spear that works well as a hiking stick, she continued her walk to the peak of the mountain to see where she was. From the looks of it she was about halfway up and the slope would start getting steep soon. Looking around, she was starting to see above the tree canopy but she still wasn't high enough to spot the lake near Mecha station, the late was about 35km from Alpha station, about a four-hour walk South East. If she could spot the lake, she should be able to see the top of the Alpha station.

Walking up the mountain she started thinking about The Hundred. Nola's mind wandered back to when she heard they were being sent to the ground. It was very hush hush but Abby let it slip when she came over for a cup of tea. _Nola's mother Diana had passed away a few years ago but Abby continued to visit. It didn't bother Nola but she couldn't help feel like Abby wished she were looking at Diana, rather than Nola._

 _Since her mother's death, Nola was moved to a smaller unit, very basic, a table, two chairs sitting opposite of each other, a small kitchen along the wall and a double bed in the corner. The unit was in an open layout; the only privacy to the room was the bathroom in a separate room. Nola didn't mind it's simplicity since she had already lost the feeling of home when her mother died. This area was simply a room to live in._

 _"They're being sent to the ground. All one hundred of them." She said in a quiet tone. Although they were the only ones in the room Abby spoke with such a hushed voice that had Nola wonder if there were people listening in on her conversations._

 _"Really? Clarke too?"_

 _Abby nodded, she had sadness written all over her face. Nola didn't blame her; she would be separated from her daughter even more._

 _The Earth hadn't been inhabited in over one hundred years, who knows what would've changed with all the radioactivity, plant life would've evolved, the animals too, buildings would be a rare sight and the landscape would be back to its rawest form. Nola had thought about Earth many times before. She had been lucky enough to get a satellite image of North America, she didn't know which part area it was from and the image was a bit hard to see but it was clear that the radioactivity had sped up the growth of the plant life. What should've taken thousands of years to grow over the top of buildings, had only taken hundreds. There was so much to discover and so much had changed. Just the thought of going down to earth and furthering her research had Nola's mind working overtime._

 _Pulling herself back to reality she could see the look on Abby's face. There were things that concerned her though the woman looked hesitant to speak. "What if the Earth isn't survivable?" Abby said. Nola had been thinking about all the discoveries that could be made, but the idea that Earth wasn't survivable hadn't crossed her mind at all._

 _"Hmm… I hadn't thought of that. There's really only one way to know. As harsh as it is, someone needs to find out, and the prisoners of the Sky Box are expendable in the Chancellor's eyes… I can understand where they're coming from." Nola paused for a moment as she saw Abby's face go pale. Clearly she was thinking about Clarke and had wanted a realistic opinion on the matter, but the look in her eyes was something that only a mother could show regarding their child. "Look Abby, Clarke is a strong girl. I've been tracking the growth of the plant life in North America and it's been thriving, it's tripled in growth. It's been absorbing triple the amount of Co2 and emitting just as much oxygen. I don't know about the radioactive levels but I reckon things will work out."_

 _At her response Abby seemed to relax a fraction, after a while she started going into detail about her other worries, lack of communications to the kids, the silver transmitter bands, the drop ship capabilities. Nola was surprised at their in-depth conversation. It was unusual for their conversations to go this long; the two usually held light conversations and then went their separate ways. But it was nice to be someone that Abby could confide in, she didn't mind listening, this wasn't a common topic and Nola found the information interesting._

 _After almost two hours of chatting, mainly listening to Abby, the doctor headed back to work, leaving Nola to her thoughts in the kitchen whilst she cleaned up._

 _The hundred were being sent to he ground. Clarke. Toby and his friends. The spacewalker. Monty and his friend Jasper. The thought of these people being sent to the ground gave her mixed emotions but there was one person who she knew would want to know about this information, Bellamy. His sister would be included in the mission to Earth. Although it was confidential, Bellamy only had his sister and he ought to know._

 _With that decision she left her apartment to find the young man, it had been almost four years since they had spoken, would he listen to her?_

Nola's thoughts were drifting quite a bit; perhaps it was the altitude making her think about these memories. It didn't matter, she had almost gotten as far as she could. Deciding it was high enough she surveyed the area.

Looking around at the scene before her was breathtaking. There were so many trees, they went all the way back to the horizon. Birds were flying high in the sky and the clouds looked so close she could almost touch them, Nola knew that would be impossible, but the sight before her was so breathtaking it didn't matter.

After getting over her moment of happiness she tried to find the lake. Nola knew she was high enough but she couldn't see it. It was large enough that she should be able to see it clearly now. But instead she saw trees, lots and lots of trees. Feeling deflated she considered climbing higher, but the ground was too steep and unstable and she didn't want to risk it. Considering her options she slowly turned around in a circle. Out of the corner of her eye she saw something shiny. _Metal?_ She thought. Trying to get a better look at it she realised it was the drop ship that the hundred used. _Maybe the Hundred were still there,_ she thought with a pang of excitement and relief she quickly decided to start heading in that direction.

During her descend down the mountain towards the drop ship she glanced up and noticed the clouds had darkened considerably since she started heading down. Picking up her pace she powered on towards the drop ship, hoping that she'll get there before the rain.

Nola was unlucky, with about 5km to go it had started pouring down and Nola began to run. Deciding that it was worth the excursion she made her legs work faster as she powered up a slope that lead to the drop ship. The ground had gotten slippery but she ignored it. Running up the hill she noticed the grass around her had been burnt away, pushing on a few more metres and she lost her footing and fell.

In a bit of a daze Nola looked around to see what she tripped on. There weren't any roots around, no grass, so what could have caused her to trip? Looking down her mouth gaped open. The bone of an arm, it was sticking out of the ground looking charred and cracked from heat. Feeling the bile rise from her stomach she began crawling away from it. Nola's eyes were watering, blurring her vision but she continued to crawl, trying to push down her food.

As Nola put her hand out to crawl again her hand slipped on something smooth and round. Wiping her eyes on her sleeve she saw what her hand had touched. A skull. _Oh god no._ She thought, unable to keep the bile down. Without moving from the spot she puked up the only food she'd eaten all day. After a while she had an empty stomach, no food and no bile. With her body realising that there is no more to throw up, Nola forced herself to stand up and look around her.

There were charred bodies everywhere. Hundreds. Some partially burned and others burnt to a crisp. Trying her best to ignore her stomach protesting and wanting to throw up again she headed to the ramp of the drop ship, trying to avoid the bones crushing under her feet. The rain never let up and she was already soaked so she didn't bother to run to cover. Besides, even if she wanted to run, her body wouldn't do it. She was still too shocked from the massacre around her.

Reaching the drop ship ramp she went to take a step inside but something caught her eye. Turning her hear to some white marks on the wall of the drop ship she froze.

 _Clarke, Please come home. 22km South / SW. Mom._

They'd been here. At the drop ship and now Nola knew where to go.

 **AN: Hi all! thanks for reading, I've updated chapters 1-3 as well. Happy reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

_"Bellamy." The almost familiar voice from behind echoed down the hallway._

 _Bellamy turned around to face the woman approaching him. Her piercing hazel eyes with more blue than green in them, her light brown hair cascading down her back, half of it in a bun on top – for it's efficiency she would say – swaying slightly from side to side and slightly flushed cheeks. Nola McCarthy stood in front of him. The last time he had spoken to her was shortly after he'd lost his mom, Octavia had been sent to the Sky Box and he was anything but nice to her. What could she possibly want to talk to him about after that? "What?" he asked, trying to cut their conversation short. The tone in her voice had changed since they were kids. When he had first met her crawling out of a ventilation shaft she was a scrawny 12 year old who smiled brightly at him with her big doe eyes. Now, he faced a 21-year-old woman who had fine features, high cheekbones, a soft face but a developed body. Her head went to his nose, when she looked at him she had to raise her head slightly as he lowered his to meet his eyes with hers. Neither looked like the particularly wanted to be near each other but something in her eyes said that she had something important to say._

 _"Do you have a moment? I want to tell you something. In private." She said staring at him while trying to hide her emotions. It was clear she wasn't comfortable with the situation, but she didn't show any pain, anger, happiness or sadness. Nothing. For the past couple of years there's been a rumour going around that she lost all of her emotions when her mother died. They say that now she just does her gardening and research because that's all she can do. It seems that rumour was right._

 _Bellamy had lost his job as a Guard Cadet and now he's a janitor. His life had become anything but pleasant. He lived alone, rarely got to see Octavia and hated his job. He did have a couple of friends that he hung out with occasionally but he mainly kept to himself. Some woman found that interesting, that he had a dramatic past. That attracted them and he ended up sleeping with the occasional one. But he was never happy. He had moments of satisfaction but that was it. Now, facing this woman he was feeling a sense of jealousy, they had both lost their families, only she got to keep her job. Head Botanist, what a joke. She really was the gardener of the Ark. Trying to settle his jealousy he grunted in her response. He wanted her to be quick about whatever she wanted to tell him._

 _The two walked into one of the janitor's closet, hygiene on the ark was important so the janitor's closets were rather large and were able to store a lot. Once they entered Nola closed the door behind her and waited for him to turn around and face her. Once he did so she started talking. She knew he wasn't going to chat to her so she jumped into business mode._

 _"Bellamy, I know we don't talk anymore, but I have information that you ought to know. What I'm about to tell you must be kept a secret, you can't tell anyone. Not even your sister."_

 _At the mention of his sister his ears perked up like a horse. She had his full attention; anything about his sister was a priority to him. He will keep this between them, for the sake of his sister. He nodded in response, agreeing to her words._

 _Nola continued. "The Ark is sending the hundred prisoners from the Sky Box to Earth in 10 Months. All of the prisoners, including your sister are being sent down there. You cannot tell her, I shouldn't even be telling you. I need you to know what's at stake here. The Earth may be survivable, I don't know why the Ark is actioning this now but if the Earth is survivable then the Ark community will follow The Hundred down there, but if it isn't, then they will die of radiation. I'm not sure what you can or should do with this information, but I felt you had the right to know." She ended._

 _Bellamy didn't know what to say. Was it true? How would he know? She seemed to be telling him the truth. Who was her source? It didn't matter. What matters is what he will do with this information. Bellamy didn't know how to respond he simply nodded to her. Nola decided then it was her time to leave. She opened the door and went to walk out but paused as a soft 'Thankyou.' from Bellamy echoed through the room. She dropped her head and kept walking._

Bellamy woke up to the sound of the door opening up for Kane as he entered Bellamy's cell. Shortly after arriving at Camp Jaha he was put in a cell, given some food and left alone. It somewhere throughout the night he must've fallen asleep.

Kane entered the room looking as calm as water. Bellamy stood up and stared at the man. "How long are you going to keep me locked up in here?" he said, agitation building up with each step Kane took into the room.

"Until I'm confident you are no longer a threat to others." The man said, pausing to grab a seat "Lets continue." he said as he took a seat. "Now, you said there were hundreds of grounders attacking. Two? Three-hundred?"

"I wasn't counting." He responded, already over the conversation.

Kane persisted. "Why do you think they attacked? What provoked them?"

"We were here. That was enough." He paused. "We're wasting time. The others didn't just vanish into thin air they were taken! And we need to go after them-"

"Soon we will leave. But not until we've got what we need from you."

Bellamy walked up to Kane and crouched in from of him "I need to be on that team. Please." Bellamy pleaded, staring Kane in the eyes, trying to convey his message.

"It's too dangerous, you don't have the training required." Kane had been using his diplomatic voice, he'd been steady through the whole conversation but Bellamy was getting impatient.

"Those are my people." Bellamy said trying to convince Kane but he was unsuccessful

"Those are my people too. " He said. "You want to help them? Tell me what we're up against? Grounder tactics, numbers, what kind of weapons they use." He really wanted the information Bellamy had, he knew there would be no gain in hiding it from them and they had probably discovered some of this information on their own anyway.

"Arrows, spears, axes, swords, their _teeth._ " he added, emphasising on the last word to try and discourage Kane.

"No guns?" the new chancellor asked, pausing to think about his words "But you had guns."

"The guns we found at the depot levelled the playing field. Maybe- Maybe if we had enough bullets we could've-"

"There were more bullets. The search team just returned from the bunker, they found two more barrels full of rifles and a third full of bullets."

Bellamy felt lost. "We should've looked harder." He believed he'd failed his friends.

Bellamy wanted to be left alone but they had a new visitor. Murphy. As soon as the shrimp entered the room they both froze, backs straight, eyeing each other. Murphy looked like he would turn and run if two guards weren't holding him. Bellamy hated the guy but liked to see him squirm. "What's he doing here?" He asked, hoping that they'd walked into the wrong room. He was ignored.

"Excuse me sir. Dr Griffin cleared Mr Murphy from medical." A Blonde woman from the guard stated.

Bellamy looked at Kane. _You've got to be kidding me._ He thought and Kane noticed. "Put him over there."

Murphy was handcuffed to one wall and Bellamy to the opposite, the guards were in no laughing mood so Bellamy obeyed.

"Well, this should be fun." Murphy said with his usual mocking voice.

Bellamy was about to talk back to the shrimp when two bullets echoed in the distance. All heads spun to the door and Kane along with the guards were gone in seconds. Leaving Bellamy and Murphy alone in the room.

About an hour had passed since the gunshot, the two hadn't spoken a word to each other, why would they? He thought. They hated each other.

A blood-curdling scream rang out grabbing Bellamy's attention, _was that Raven?_ He thought. The must be do the surgery on her. They wouldn't have any anaesthesia so she'd be in immense pain. _They are probably cutting her back open right now_. He thought. Bellamy hoped that she would pass out from the pain. It wasn't a nice sound to hear.

"Yeah that was me at the grounder camp." Murphy said. Bellamy really didn't care at all but Murphy kept talking. "I did everything I could not to scream but eventually-"

"But eventually. You broke and told them everything." Bellamy wasn't in the mood to hear him.

"And you wouldn't have right? Because you're better than me?" Murphy asked.

Bellamy had nothing to say in response. So he zoned out, tried to push the sound of Raven screaming out of his ears and think of something else.

It took some time but Bellamy had let his mind escape the present and go back in time. When his mother was still alive, shortly after he had met Nola, 9 years ago.

 _"Bellamy? Is that you?" the soft whisper through the room was barely audible. Bellamy had just gotten back from his first encounter with Nola McCarthy and his mind was still racing from their odd conversation. Normally, Bellamy's secret sister would go and hide in the hole under the table but she knew Bellamy had was had been to the library and was expecting him. Clearly his mother was asleep; otherwise she would've opened the door for him._

 _"Yeah, it's me. I've got a surprise for you today Octavia, I think you're going to like it, but we can't tell Mom, okay?" He knew his mother would flip if she saw Octavia with another child's book that didn't belong to Octavia, his mother would think she'd been interacting with someone, leaking her existence. This secret would be between them and only them, brother and sister._

 _The two climbed onto the top bunk of the bed in the wall and crawled into the corner. They were still small enough that the two could sit beside each other comfortably. The space was their cubby house, they had a bed sheet pulled along it for privacy – not that their Mom would mind since it was just the three of them. Bellamy and Octavia spent a lot of time there in their younger days. It was where they would play board games, read stories, draw and do other activities there together._

 _"What is the surprise Bell?" she asked. She'd been experimenting with the new nickname lately, Bellamy didn't mind, he'd started to like it, it had a nice ring to it. Placing the books from the library down, Bellamy reached into his pants and pulled out the little plant diary that Nola had lent him. When Octavia saw it she didn't look particularly impressed, on the outside it just looked like a plain old book with a string of leather that wraps around a button to hold it shut. It didn't have any writing on it and gave no hints as to what is really was. He passed her the book and she inspected it, cautious to handle it, let alone open it. "What is it?" she finally said._

 _"It's a diary, from a girl. But it's about plants. I met her today, she saw the books and gave this to me." Octavia was always curious about girls on The Ark, what did they look like, how did they dress, what did they talk about, what was their writing like. Octavia had so many questions that neither Bellamy nor his mother could answer. This was perfect, it wasn't a normal diary but it was a diary, even if it was about plants. Bellamy had heard stories about girls and diaries, and how they put all of their heart and soul into the pages and how they stored all their secrets in it. Things like crushes, school, hobbies, family, friends, their home, practically anything. Octavia wanted to know what normal girls thought, but from what Bellamy thought from his encounter with Nola – she was no ordinary girl. However she was a girl. And Octavia would love to ready the plant diary._

 _The rest of the night the siblings spent together was filled with Octavia reading Nola's diary out loud. Bellamy was impressed with how much the 12 year old girl knew about plants. He noticed that inside the front cover it said in a messy writing 'Property of Nola McCarthy, Plant Diary Part 4'. It hadn't taken long for Bellamy to decide that Nola wouldn't mind if they kept it for longer. The book was already filled with information and she had probably started another one by now. Besides, Bellamy could see how much Octavia loved the book; he wanted this to last as long as possible._

A few hours had passed since he heard the gun shot, Bellamy had been wondering why only two shots were made. Were they stray grounders? An animal? What was it? These thoughts had been plaguing his mind for the past couple of hours. It was night-time and the halls were quiet. There was a commotion earlier but it vanished about as soon as it came. Abby had gone racing past the door with her assistant and a few others. Murphy make a sly comment about how these people won't survive for long if they're constantly getting injured and shooting at nothing. But Bellamy ignored him. The guy was a shrimp for sure and he certainly wasn't worth listening to, even if he had made a few interesting points over the last couple of hours that they've spent together.

Waiting, that was all Bellamy could do. It was boring him to bits, all he wanted to do was get out and do something. He was starting to consider possible ways to escape when the door opened up and Finn, followed by Monroe entered.

"Get up. We're going after them. " Finn said as he cut the wire handcuffs

"Its about time" Bellamy responded as he got up, stretched his legs and went to leave.

"Whoa, he wait, wait!" Murphy said, trying to stop them with his words as though they were a physical rope. "What about me?" he asked, hoping that they wouldn't leave him behind. Bellamy could see it in the shrimps eyes, he was a cunning coward. That he knew for sure but he may be of use to Bellamy, they were going to the Grounder camp, and only he knew how to get there.

Bellamy grabbed the wire cutters and approached Murphy, the shrimp pressed himself against the wall thinking that Bellamy was going to hit him unconscious and leave him. Bellamy liked it when he scared Murphy. The cocky prat deserved it. But he wouldn't hurt him today. Bellamy needed him. He walked close to Murphy, cut the handcuffs away from the post and lead murphy out of the room.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Finn protested, caution radiating form his eyes.

"He's coming with us." Finn objected but Bellamy continued. "He's been to the Grounder Prison Camp" with Murphy agreeing with him.

Monroe caught their attention, reminding them that a prison break requires breaking out and that there was someone coming.

The four of them left the cell, met up with Sterling and made their way to the exit. Finn had placed Murphy between himself and Monroe as they moved. Bellamy was behind him and sterling behind Bellamy. They only needed to speak past the hospital room where Raven slept and they would be out of the building and almost free from Camp Jaha.

As they made there was past the windows, the rooms were just about empty. Raven was in one bed and there was someone else in the other with Sinclair reading beside her. Bellamy slowed his pace as he went to get a better look at her. She looked familiar, but different in the same way. This woman had long light brown hair that was matted and muddy, a slash on her cheek and dirty skin. She looked battered and bruised from head to toe, but she slept peacefully. Her arm was bandaged and she had a reflective sheet over her body.

 _Nola_

Belamy froze in place and Sterling crashed into his back and grunted loudly, grabbing the attention of the others.

"Bellamy, what are you doing" Finn hissed, "We need to move, we're nearly there! Sterling, give him a push." He said, knowing that Bellamy would get pissy at the idea.

Snapping out of his daze Bellamy hissed in a low warning to Sterling "Don't even think about touching me." He looked to Finn and nodded. The group make there way out of the building, eyes never leaving Nola until she was out of sight.

Along the way Bellamy struggled to concentrate. His mind was racing and he couldn't focus. The only thing he could think about was Nola. They had found her, or had she found them? What had happened? Was it grounders? Will she be all right? Will she be safe? Bellamy couldn't understand why he was thinking these at a time like this, he didn't even like the girl, sure he was grateful that she warned him about the hundred being sent to the ground but they didn't even acknowledge each other.

The group made their way down to the tree line. They met up with a guard who said he was Millers dad and Abby, the two adults passed a couple of guns over, a bag of Ark food packets, water and some extra ammunition. "Find our children, and bring them back." Abby said. The group nodded to the adults and made their way into the woods. He'd finally gotten out of that cell and was free. So why did he want to get back there so much, just to see her face again.

 **A/N: Hi all, a huge thanks for reading, favouriting and following, please review, it would mean absolutely everything to me! What do you think of the story? Got any thoughts? i'd love to hear them! Cheers! thanks all**


	6. Chapter 6

The rain never let up. Nola decided to stay in the drop ship until the rain stopped which kept her in there for the night. She was lucky, whatever had happened to The Hundred, they were alive, what was outside must've been from a battle, that would explain Toby's corpse. There were too many burnt corpses to be the hundred; it scaled almost three hundred people. Nola tried not to think about what was outside the drop ship. It was a horrible sight. Nola had seen bodies floated before. She was there the day her mother's corpse was floated but this was different. The bodies never left. They surrounded her. Reminding her that death was at every corner. She had to be careful.

Wanting to think of something else Nola decided to search the drop ship. She had already found some blankets that she could sleep on, but that was about it. The radio was damaged and most of the contents of the drop ship had already been taken. It really looked deserted.

Gathering her belongings, spear and the blankets she found earlier. Nola decided to rest on the second floor of the ark. The roof was leaking onto the third floor and the ramp was broken on ground level. The Second floor was almost pitch black but she was protected from the weather, it was her best option.

Nola sat on the ground wrapped around her blankets in the corner of the room. She wouldn't be able to make a fire tonight so this would have to do. After snuggling up to herself, Nola had gotten comfortable and as warm as she could get in her wet clothes. Tonight Nola contemplated stripping, getting warm and letting her clothes wash in the rain but decided against it. She would be kicking herself if her clothes weren't secured enough and flew away. No. She would make do. Last night was a luxury, having a dry night with a warm fire. Tonight she would have a cold, wet night with no fire.

The sun had set a few hours ago and Nola felt hungry. Deciding it was time to eat, she grabbed a food packet and started nibbling at it, taking her time, making sure it would settle in her stomach. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Around her she could see a couple loose objects, boxes, rope, a shoe and a torch. A torch! Nola scurried over and grabbed the torch then tested it. It flickered but it still worked.

Looking around Nola could see more detail in the objects around her. Inside the boxes were mainly odd objects that served no purpose. The hundred never had any personal items but what she found was a surprise. A book. It was a small, worn out book with a string wrapped around to keep it shut, secured by a button. Nola recognised this book instantly. It was her plant diary. The one she lent to Bellamy when they first met nine years ago. He never gave it back and never mentioned the book. It was already full so Nola had started on a new one when she had given this one to Bellamy. He must've given it to his sister. Nola couldn't imagine Bellamy keeping it for himself. Not after what happened between them.

 _Classes had finished for the day and Nola was heading back to her garden to see how her herbs were doing. Dr Alfred hadn't been feeling well so she'd been doing a lot of her internship on her own lately._

 _There was a commotion down the hallway and people were running franticly back and forth. The guards rushed past her and didn't even bat an eye; Nola noticed they were heading to the gardens. Picking up her pace, eager to see what was causing the commotion. As she entered the doorway she froze in place. It was chaos. People were running back and forward and there were people injured, lying on the floor unconscious. The place was havoc._

 _One of the hydrogen pipelines had burst and crippled the gardens, injuring and burning many people in the process. There was a woman was being carried out on a stretcher. A face that Nola recognised immediately: it belonged to her mother._

 _The woman's face was relaxed and her body unmoving. She had a silver sheet covering her body and only her face was visible. "Mom?" Nola whimpered as her mother was carried past her. And carried down the hallway. "Mom!" she cried out as she began to sob loudly. People were moving back and forward, no one would stop and help. She was alone._

 _Wanting to find her mother Nola forced her legs to work. She started heading down towards the medical ward but was suddenly pushed up against a wall with so much force that Nola whimpered. She looked down and saw Toby, the boy who tormented her for years, who was now gripping her throat, tightening her airways with every passing second. They hadn't been in the same classes for a couple years but he never left her alone._

 _His face was warped and filled with rage. He looked like he could crush her body with just his stare. "You." He spat as he spoke "You did this! You with your stupid experiments! You ignorant bitch! My dad was in there!" he shouted, "My dad was in there." in a whisper to himself while tightening his grip "You stupid bitch! You never care about anyone but yourself. Now you've gone and killed three people!" he was on the verge of hitting her. He threw her on the ground, knelt over her and grabbed her hair. Nola was terrified. She didn't know what he was going on about. She didn't have anything to do with the hydrogen pipes. Her mother had been caught up in it. She had nothing to do with it. "It wasn't me!" she cried as he tightened his grip on her hair, he wasn't going to listen to her. He never did._

 _"Don't lie to me you stupid girl. I know you are and I hate that you're lying to me. Tell me the truth!" he screamed at her face_

 _"I am!" she cried but he wouldn't listen. Instead, he grabbed her head and slammed it into the ground as she heard a loud crack from her skull._

 _Nola was disoriented, her head pounding and spinning at the same time, she didn't know what had just happened. Her throat was burning, it was hard to breath and she could feel a hot patch of blood dripping down from her forehead and over her eyes, making it hard to see._

 _Toby went to smash her head into the ground again but he froze mid-way. Nola opened her eyes and looked over to where Toby was staring; searching through her watering eyes she saw a face. Bellamy. He was staring at the two. Ever since he lost his mom there had been something keeping them apart but right now, Nola wanted nothing more that for him to be her friend, to stand by her side and stick up for her._

 _Her heart dropped instantly when he said in a casual even tone "I thought that was that gardener, Hmm, I wasn't sure." He said and he kept walking, completely ignoring what Toby was doing to Nola. From there everything was a blur. Nola remembered very little. In the end the Guards had grabbed Toby off her unconscious body and locked him in a cell in the Sky Box._

 _Nola spent the next month recovering in the hospital wing. While her mother was slowly dying in the room beside her._

Waking up with a wet face, Nola's body felt heavy, like she was being held down. She knew she'd been crying in her sleep and didn't like that it was because of that memory. He'd broken her heart. He was the first real friend she had; at least she thought they were friends. They had spent many nights together in the library talking about all sorts of things, he liked listening to her, and they would tell each other secrets and stories that no one else knew. They were good friends; at least that's what Nola thought.

Those next few moths were the hardest that Nola had every experienced. After she was cleared to leave medical, she never left, she discarded her botany internship and spent as much time with her mother as she could. The Doctors said that the pipe was above her when it fell. Most of the people burned to death from the hydrogen but when the pipe fell on her mother it crippled her, internally and externally and the hydrogen had burnt her legs beyond repair. The doctors said she would be bed-ridden until she passes away.

Her mother lived only a few months. During that time, Nola didn't attend school, or her internship – which she had cleared with Dr Alfred since the gardens had been damaged and needed time to repair. She was lucky that Abby was the doctor. She would bring food for the two and try to support them from the distance, even though she knew there wasn't much she could do. Nola would read to her mother, tell her all sorts of things and hum songs to her when she was resting. By the time Nola's mother had died, her heart was hollow. She struggled to feel anything and barely spoke to people unless spoken to. She would mind her own business and block out her emotions to almost everyone besides Abby.

After a few minutes to get herself together and back to the present, Nola got up, gathered her things and made her way to the ramp of the drop ship. Once she got to the ramp, she jumped down and kept walking, averting her eyes from the bones surrounding her and following Abby's directions to head South / South West back to Alpha Station.

After a couple of hours she knew she wasn't far from Alpha Station. Picking up pace she continued, excited to get back to where she felt comfortable. In the distance she could see the clearing that lead to the station. She was looking forward to seeing Abby and Sinclair. She'd like to see how Kane responds to her being alive, especially since they never noticed that she had turned back for Jinks.

Nola had reached the clearing and she could see Alpha station in the distance. There were people moving about. Construction had been going well and they were starting to build a fence, it was still in the early stages and the poles were going into the ground. There were plenty of guards along the perimeter and they were all armed and ready, just in case there were any more grounders in the area.

Unable to wait any longer, Nola began to make her way towards the station. She made a few steps but froze in place as a piercing sound cut through the air and a searing pain spread through her upper arm, she staggered back and was about to get to cover when another shot through the side of her stomach just above her pelvis. At the bursting pain Nola fell back and hit the ground hard. Shed just been shot! Her body was surging with adrenaline as she pulled herself back towards the tree line with one arm and her legs. Unable to grab her spear she left it, deeming her life as more important.

As she pulled her way over behind a tree her body sagged against it. She was loosing too much blood and needed to stop moving. She grabbed some of the rope she found on the drop ship and tied it around her arm to try and slow the blood loss. She didn't know what she could do about her stomach wound so she pressed her hand against it to apply as much pressure as she could. _Shit. Now what do I do._ She thought. The last thing she had expected was to get shot by her own people. Though with all she'd been through over the past few days she probably looked like a grounder, she was powering up to the camp with a spear in hand and covered in grime, she probably scared the shooter and he pressed the trigger out of fear. Nola chuckled to herself at her idiocy, she'd been so focused on walking through those gates that she had forgotten reality, and that there probably were grounders nearby that were scouting the area and monitoring the station right this minute.

She continued to stay against the tree stump. She could hear footsteps approaching in the distance. Nola shut her eyes and listened to the group approaching, it sounded like three people, all males, there footsteps were heavy and their guns rattled and they got louder as they approached. Nola figured they'd be at her tree any moment but nothing. Everything was silent. No footsteps, voices or anything. She wasn't sure if she had passed out or if something had happened. She tried to open her eyes but she couldn't. She felt herself leaning, more and more until her body hit the ground with a soft thud. Nola gave it her all, tried to push herself up but her body just wouldn't move. In the distance she could hear a struggle taking place, she was able to open her eyes a little bit but could only see blurred figures, there was a fight going on but the grass was higher than her, blocking her view. The figures were moving too fast anyway. And then every thing went dark.

 _"Isn't that the gardener? I heard her only friends are the plants."_

 _"I heard that since the plants died, she has no friends."_

 _"She isn't even normal, what person has no emotions."_

 _"She's a waste of oxygen. All she does is be with herself, she doesn't care about anyone._

 _"I thought that was that gardener, Hmm, I wasn't sure."_

The voices of random people from The Ark echoed through her mind as her body lay on the ground. The last voice from Bellamy should've hurt the most but she felt nothing. Instead she lay on the ground, just outside the boundary of Alpha Station. She felt deflated. Her thoughts were foggy and her body felt weak. How long had it been since she passed out? She wouldn't know. Her eyes were shut and she drifted in and out of consciousness. Nola could feel herself sinking back into deep sleep when an ear-piercing scream from a man cried from nearby.

Perhaps it was the high pitch from his voice that snapped her out of her semi-conscious state, who knows? But it was so loud that Nola's eye burst open and her body gasped for air.

Nola rolled off her stomach and onto her back. Her body was stiff as wood and she felt like she had the limbs of an old person. Groaning softly to herself she went to rub her eyes. As she brought her hands up to her eyes she was fiercely reminded of her injuries. Nola's arms recoiled and returned to the ground. She decided that she had to get up. She needed Abby. Pulling herself up to a sitting position, Nola rested her back on the tree stump. Her stomach was screaming at her to stop and her arm wasn't doing any better.

Forcing herself, she leant against the tree and began bringing her feet closer to the tree and shuffling her body up against it. Nola cried out as she began to stand up. Her body was shaking from adrenaline and she struggled to grip the tree as her legs began to straighten up.

Nola was standing and almost steady when the same man screamed out again, this time louder and for longer. She searched around for the figure and was shocked to see him and two others hung up in a tree. They were guards from the Ark. They must've been the ones to check out the commotion that resulted in Nola's bullet wounds.

Two of them were already dead but one in the middle was still alive. He was conscious but had a few arrows sticking out of him. The Grounders must've done this as a warning. Otherwise all three would've been killed with the same precision as Jinks and the other Guard members.

Nola was in no state to help him but she had to get to him. Using her good arm to push her off the tree to reach him she used that momentum to stumble to him. She didn't reach far though, after four or so steps she stumbled and came crashing to the ground, screaming in pain as she landed. Her vision was blotchy and her head felt extremely light. Knowing that she wasn't far from the man she started crawling on her stomach towards him, ignoring the pain and to keep moving.

To say it was a struggle would be a severe understatement. The ground was uneven and the bushes surrounding her were like little trees with stiff stems. Nola gave up when her stomach nicked a tree root. She had to stop moving and waited for the pain to soften. She had already lost too much blood and thought she would pass out for good in any moment. She was so close to the men now that she was lying on splintered bark almost at their feet. She heard the many moan but that was it. Nola couldn't move anymore and was slipping away. Her eyes had shut and her mind wasn't functioning.

Her body felt light, too light. And the wind had picked up. The ground was moving- no- _She was moving_. Someone was carrying her. _Oh no._ She thought as she used the last of her energy to reef herself out of the hold of the person and slamming onto the ground. It was too obvious. The Grounders were waiting for people of the Ark to come out and take them, that's what she had done; she'd led herself right to them. And now they were going to take her, interrogate her and torture her, but only if she survived. Surely they would have a way of saving her, but what was the point? Just let her die, she was going to anyway.

"Get away from me" Nola slurred out of her mouth as two big hands grabbed her limp body and picked her up again. "I won't tell you anything… nothing… you're the bad people. You… the grounders… I won't." Was all she could slur out, she could hear words being said but she felt like her head was under water and the voices sounded fuzzy. The only thing she could make out was her name. They she passed out.

"Honestly. What were you thinking Kane? Look, I know that you were ambushed but did you really care so much for your own life that you didn't even think to look back and notice that she wasn't there anymore? Look at her. She barely made it back here. Two bullet wounds from our own people- one of _your_ men. Jesus Kane! We can keep going on like this. How are we supposed to sustain our community if we can't keep them safe from each other!" Abby protested with a loud _huff_ afterwards. The woman sounded like she was far away, her words weren't clear but Nola could still hear the woman arguing with Kane from what she gathered. She was at the point of waking up where her body was asleep and her eyes were shut but her mind and hearing was waking up. She was lying on a comfy bed with a soft cushion under her head. Nola was in no hurry to fully wake up so she listened in.

"He was scared Abby. We've already dealt with the situation. No one but members of the Guard get guns." The man said with a level tone. He sounded like he wanted to leave at the first chance her could get but Abby wasn't one to let people escape in these situations. Nola could smell the dust in the air and her nose was getting itchy, she tried to subtly move her head to the side and itch her nose on the pillow but her subtlety was noticed.

"Abby. I think she's coming through." A man paused, he sounded young and close by. He must've been beside her bed "We were lucky weren't we?" he said.

"Yes, Jackson we were. She was very lucky that we had just finished up with Raven, if we were still doing surgery on poor girl, Nola wouldn't have made it." the woman said, her footsteps echoing as she walked closer to Nola lying on the medical bed. The older woman stroked her fingers through Nola's hair in a motherly way.

"Abby, should I go get Sinclair to watch over her again? He said that he wouldn't mind, communications weren't any better than before so he had the time to keep an eye on her." Jackson was using his professional voice, but it sounded caring.

"Okay Jackson, if you could get him that would be good. We need her monitored. We've cleaned her wounds but there is still a high chance of infection. If you could go get him-"

"I'll do it, I saw him over near my office. You two stay here." Kane said. Nola had almost forgotten he was in the room.

"Thankyou Kane." Abby said as footsteps left the room and the sound of flapping plastic settled after him.

Deciding that it was time for her body to wake up she opened her eyes slightly and started to move her toes, then her legs and her arms then attempting to move onto he side. Her actions were cut short when her body cried out in pain causing a wincing noise to escape her mouth as her body recoiled against its self and flopped back onto the mattress. Nola clutched her bed sheets and scrunched her eyes shut. Her body was aching much more then before and everything hurt to move.

"You're going to be in pain for a while so I'd suggest you don't go making any sudden movements." The voice belonging to Jackson said softly beside her.

Nola opened her eyes to the face of Jackson staring back at her. He stared back at her with his own dark brown eyes. His black hair looked rather messy as though it hadn't been brushed since they were on the Ark and his thin, long hands softly rested on the bed close to her shoulder.

"How long was I out?"

"Long enough. A lot has happened. It's good to see you are alive. We were starting to think you hadn't made it through the grounder ambush." he said as he walked around the bed to the other side to grab something. It looked like a book.

"How long was I out?" she repeated. "Hours? Days?"

"Almost four days Nola." Said a woman. Nola turned her head to get a better view of the being that turned out to be Abby; the woman was working over a table between herself and another girl. The woman was facing Nola and looked nothing more than relieved to see the young woman conscious again even though she looked very busy with work. She walked around the table and over to Nola as she rested her head back on the pillow. Jackson had gone to check on the other girl, taking a lingering peek at Nola as he walked past her and Abby taking his place. "How do you feel?" she said as stepped closer and pushed Nola's hair off her forehead and pressed her hand against it, probably checking for a temperature.

"Like I got floated alive. Everything hurts. But I guess that's nothing new." She said, feeling an urge to laugh at the situation _I'm feeling great Abby, if you could just help me to get up I can go and help the builders with the construction of the fence._ Was what she was thinking, but there's no way she would say that aloud.

"Well considering the last time I saw you conscious I was replacing your bandage on your hip from our landing in Mecha Station before heading out with Kane, and now I'm treating you as an actual patient recovering from two bullet wounds and god knows what else. I'd say you've been swimming up shit creek as they used to say."

"Hmm yeah I guess your right, it wasn't really a creek, more of a gully with water..." Was all she could say, reminding herself that she needs to learn how to swim at some point in time. It'd been over a week since then and a lot had happened, at least to Nola. "How've things been at Alpha Station? Any news about the 100 and the other stations?"

"Alpha Station has been renamed 'Camp Jaha', Sinclair thought it was fitting to rename it in honour of the old Chancellor, since we were all out looking for you and the hundred- No one seemed to mind." The doctor said with her head buried in papers, waling back to her desk.

"You were looking for me? For how long?" Nola just presumed that they thought she was dead, then again, if they had gone back for the bodies they would've known that she was still alive. But the fact that people had searched for her was touching, even if it was for her usefulness as Head Botanist.

"We sure were. There were many volunteers. Kane, myself, Sinclair and Jackson were just a few. There were almost twenty of us, including not only members of the guard but also parents of the hundred. We split in two teams when we had met up with Bellamy Blake, Finn Collins and their friends Zoe Monroe and Sterling I think it was. The kids lead us to the drop ship, there wasn't anyone there though, just Raven and Murphy and a lot of bod-"

"I know. I was there." Nola interrupted, not wanting to hear Abby's recollection of the bodies that spread around the Drop Ship. "That's how I found my way back. I used your message to Clarke. It had been raining but the writing was still legible. But without it I wouldn't have found the camp."

By the look Abby was giving Nola the doctor was eager to learn more of what happened to Nola while she was out there. Thankfully the woman held her tongue as Sinclair walked in through the hanging plastic strips, flapping as his body parted a way for himself. He paused in his step when he noticed Nola looking back at him; he smiled back at her with his usual subtle friendliness. The man nodded his head at Nola "Welcome back to the living, good to see you're finally awake."

"Thanks, it's good to see you." She said with a small smile. Nola was feeling rather grateful after hearing Abby's words earlier about the search party, even if most of the others were hoping to see their kids. She'd almost forgotten what it's like to be in these sorts of situations where people are looking out for her, caring for her and being honestly friendly to her. She hadn't felt this grateful in a long time and for that she would cherish the time with these people. Nola smiled to herself. It was the most emotion filled, sincere smile anyone would see in a long time. She may have been smiling to herself, but she was thinking of everyone. Even Bellamy Blake for some reason.

* * *

 **Hi all, thanks for reading, please review, i'd love to head your thoughts, omg what did you think of Polaris - the thirteenth station? I can't wait to see how season three goes, it's been so wonderful!**

 **Any who! thanks again for reading, reviews always mean so much to me.**

 **Thank you** **Rara-Binks for your review! This is my first fanfic so to read that you like it is amazing! i also can't wait for them to reunite!**

 **Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Stay Epic!**


	7. Chapter 7

Sinclair had wandered over to Abby and they were talking quietly to one another. Nola could hear Jackson walking up to her. She turned her head to see his face. He looked a little awkward but clearly knew what he was doing and had a task that needed to be done; he just looked like he didn't really know what to say, now that she was awake. "Umm. Nola, its time to get you cleaned up, if your interested, I can bring you to the showers? Sinclair said he'd be here after, waiting for you."

Nola hadn't realised how filthy she was, sure, when she got back to Camp Jaha all she wanted to do was clean up and rest. She could definitely do that now. Nola nodded "Alright. That'd be good, thanks"

In the beginning, Jackson had tried to help Nola up, unfortunately it didn't go to plan because her body gave way and she almost slipped through his grasp and slammed into the floor, thankfully he caught her just in time without pulling any of her stitches.

Take two was better. This time, Jackson and Sinclair put her on a stretcher and carried her to the showers, she could sit up but it would be easier if she lay down, so she did. Nola looked around as she was carried to the bathrooms, the hallways were quiet and nearly no one passed them. It was almost dinnertime so they were probably all outside eating in the new outdoor area. As they neared the showers inside the bathroom, Nola sat up and was hoisted onto a chair underneath the shower. Jackson left to get some clean clothes and Sinclair waited outside the cubicle, down near the entry doorway.

As Nola got changed she was very careful to not irritate her stitches, they were still fresh by only a couple of days and a bit of dried blood had seeped through the stitches – probably from her near stack off the medical bed, perhaps she put too much pressure on it when she thought she could walk to the showers, it would certainly be worse if Jackson hadn't caught her, she was kidding herself anyway. Abby said that she would put a new clean bandage over the top of it once she herself was clean. After Nola had stripped herself from a loose t-shirt she wiggled out of some baggy boys pants that she must've been changed into after the surgery. She was thankful that she wasn't wearing a bra, it would've been to hard to bring her wounded arm up that high. Nola still winced as she went to throw her clothes to the side and readjust herself on the seat before turning on the shower.

She was still covered in the grime from her adventure in the woods, most of the grime around her wounds on her stomach and arm were already clean and were still stained with iodine to prevent surface infections but the grime and mud was still everywhere else, especially her hair.

As she turned on the shower she was instantly welcomed by warm water, a very quiet moan escaped her mouth as she leant deeper into the running water. She rubbed her face thoroughly and then tipped her torso forward, flipping her hair over so she could get it cleaned from the roots to tip. She rested her shoulders on her knees so she wouldn't be tensing any of her core muscle that would ache from her surgery. Nola slowly raised her arms – one of them had to stop at a certain point because of the pain - and then started rubbing the roots of her hair under the warm water, Nola honestly didn't think her hair could hold any more mud, clearly she was wrong because after a fair amount of time just rubbing the mud it was still coming out. Her sore arm had stopped shortly after she'd started and her good arm was getting tired. Nola figured it would be easier just to get some help. "Hey Sinclair? Are you still there?" she called out.

"Are you alright in there Nola? It's Jackson. Sinclair had to duck out for a bit." His voice had gotten louder as he spoke; he was probably standing outside the cubicle.

Nola wasn't really embarrassed with what she was about to ask him, she was tired and needed help, it was normal for this sort of thing to happen after surgery. "I'm alright Jackson, I just have so much mud in my hair and I can't get it out, my arms are tired, could I have some help please?"

There was a pause and Nola thought Jackson had left but she heard a soft and very quiet "Okay, I'm opening the door." as the cubicle door opened. Nola hadn't bothered to lift her head and her eyes were shut from getting muddy water in them, she could hear Jackson untying his shoes as the zip slid down his combat boots and some other noises from his sleeves probably being rolled up along with his pants. Thankfully they were in a disabled shower and it was very wide, the showerhead was on the left hand side and Nola was sitting underneath it, Jackson could safely stand on the side and wash her hair without getting wet. She could hear Jackson stand behind her so she sat up more and rested her elbows on her thighs and tilted her head back towards him as her muddy knot-ridden hair hung down her back towards the base of her tailbone. He moved his hands to her scalp and started massaging the mud out of it, seemingly unfazed as he worked the mud and knots out of her hair as best he could. Nola figured that he'd done this in the past having worked in the ward with Abby for so long. "How did you manage to get so much mud in your hair? He asked sounding completely unfazed by her naked body in front of him, even with her back facing him. Sure he was only washing her hair because she was a temporary cripple but it felt so wonderful, Nola immersed in the moment and enjoyed it for as long as it would last, it was just like when her mother was alive, her mother always washed her hair when she was younger and give a great head massage while doing it.

Nola chuckled quietly to herself "Like I said, it was more of a gully with water rather than shit creek. Lets just say that I could start a collection with all the different types of mud and clay I have in my hair." She said, remembering her conversation with Abby only moments after she woke up.

Jackson hummed in response. There was silence between the two as he continued to wash her long hair under the shower. Once he was satisfied with her mud free hair he started to leave the cubicle, "Wait." Nola said causing Jackson to stop and face her, Nola was still leaning forward but had raised her head and turned towards him. "Can you please do my back? I can do the rest just not my back." She asked truthfully. Jackson nodded and walked back to her, he grabbed the bar of soap he'd used on her hair and rubbed it between his hands before smoothing it around her back. He was very thorough, just like he was with her hair. He did the base of her neck and along her shoulders and ran his soft hands down the sides of her back to the base of her hips. After a moment he washed her back off and splashed his hands under the shower to get the soap off and gave his nod of approval before heading back outside and waiting for her. "Thankyou." She said, and she was, it would've been very difficult.

"No worries, I'm sure Abby would've sent you back here if you were still dirty." He said as Nola huffed in agreement.

After Jackson left she grabbed the bar of soap and started scrubbing her feet and legs while she went back to sitting with her shoulders still rested on her knees, it was rather comfortable actually, the stitches didn't pinch when she did this, it was almost like foetal position only her feet were on the ground. Nola then sat up very slow and started on her thighs and lower waist, careful to keep her stitches un-soapy. Nola washed the area with just water and felt satisfied it was clean enough so she then scrubbed the rest of her upper body, her injured arm was easier to clean than her good arm because she was able to rely on her working arm but had to switch over eventually. Afterwards Nola felt she was fairly clean and satisfied with the outcome of her much-needed shower.

She turned the shower off and leant over to grab her towel, it was rather coarse from all its years of use on the Ark but Nola didn't mind one bit, she was clean, had spare clothes and was safe, what more could she want?

After she was dry she started to get dressed, she had some loose navy cargo work pants with loads of pockets. As they hung around her ankles, which she then shuffled up her legs past her thighs and then rested her weight on either side as, she brought it up around her waist. She carefully pulled her new clean, long sleeved dark fitted shirt over the top. It was still a bit chilly so she'd have to find a jacket later on, she could probably do with a belt too.

Once she was satisfied she called out for Jackson and he entered along with Sinclair and they helped her onto the stretcher before heading back to her medical bed.

After they arrived in the make-do hospital wing Nola got onto her bed and got treated by Abby again, this time getting some fresh new bandages on her stomach and upper arm. Once this was done Nola felt a wave of tiredness and could feel herself drifting off. Sinclair said he'd be around when she woke up again but she was so out of it she fell asleep and didn't wake up until she heard someone sobbing.

At first it was very faint, Nola wasn't sure if she was dreaming or listening to reality. She was overheating under her bed cover so she moved around to get comfortable on a cold patch, eventually kicking off her sheet, which caused the crying to suddenly stop. Nola moaned as she slowly opened her eyes and came to her senses. Lifting her good arm she blocked the ray of sun from blinding her eyes as she squinted around at the room, trying to find the source of the quiet sobs. It didn't take long, there was only one other person in the room, another girl, the one who was lying unconsciously on the bed when Nola woke up the first time. This girl was definitely awake, she lay flat on her back with one of her arms resting over her eyes as her other arm clenched her left thigh. Her dark hair was sprawled over her pillow as her skin glowed a pale dark tan with purple blotches spaced around her body. The occasional sniffle would escape her wavering breath as the girl calmed herself. Nola tried to shuffle into a more comfortable position to see the girl, but she was heard from the girl as she lowered her arm and rested it on her stomach.

"Sorry. I thought you were asleep. Didn't mean to wake you." She said with a quiet and wavering voice.

Nola wasn't bothered by it at all; she had gotten plenty of sleep and was getting to the point where it was time to get up. "It's okay, I would've woken up earlier if the sun was in my eyes then too." she croaked, saying the first words since waking up "Its not like the Ark where you're lucky to have a view of the sun." It seemed to have worked, the girl showed the slightest smile at Nola's words. "I'm Nola by the way, I think were going to be here together for the time being."

"Raven. Yeah, I guess so." She huffed cynically after a moment of silence she asked, "Why are you in here?"

"Got shot." Nola simply said, leaving out her adventure in the forest.

The girl nodded in agreement "Me too, shit isn't it?" she said with a neutral tone.

Nola hummed in agreement. The two girls lay quietly as they listened to what was going on outside. Looking around Nola saw that the room was rather cramped, it was missing a lot of important equipment as well as a medicine cabinet but apart from that it seemed to have all the basics. Nola looked over at her wobbly stool being used as a bedside table and saw that some of her belongings were there- her plant diary, the moss she found which was sitting on a container lid and a small knife. Reaching out she picked up the bit of moss she'd shoved in her pocket when she had crawled out of the water-filled gully. The moss was rather detailed, as she smoothed her finger over the leaves it felt very silky but as she looked closely at it she could see that each stem had many little star shaped leaves on it. It was red in the middle and spread out to a deep green. It was unlike anything that Nola had studied on the Ark. She was keen to get back into her studies and figure out what this moss was before the radiation fed it.

Nola was pulled from her thoughts when Raven spoke from the other end of the room "What are you doing? Is that seaweed?" she asked curiously.

Nola shook her head in response "It's a moss, I got it when I was out in the forest, before I got shot." She paused, Raven looked rather curious and had Nola considering whether to say what had happened, deciding that she may as well tell her since it would be good to have a companion to relate to later on, maybe even call her a friend one day if things worked out. "I'd gotten separated from the patrol I was with, we were going to check out a wreckage, we never got there, instead we were ambushed by Grounders and I got separated. I was out there for about three days or so; during that time I learnt a lot and found a lot of interesting things that will help with my studies. The moss was one of them." Nola said as she further studied the details of the moss.

"Hmm, so you were out there? Did you see anyone?" Raven asked.

"No, I didn't see anyone. I'd certainly thought I would find the hundred when I got to the drop ship, which was a surprise. No, it was just me alone." Nola said, Raven didn't respond, she looked lost in her own thoughts. Nola didn't want to disturb her so she returned to inspecting her moss.

After an hour or so, Abby and Jackson walked into the room with some food. Abby walked over to Nola and placed the food on a table nearby as she went over to the young woman. She looked troubled, although she was a friendly smile on her face, Nola could see that the doctor had worry written underneath her cover up. "Abby, what's wrong? Tell me." Nola said as her determined eyes pierced the doctors own. Abby had become a trusted friend since landing on the ground. After her situation with the grounders, Nola had come to value her own life and the lives of others, they were not alone and they needed to be there for each other, regardless of what had happened in the past. This was the ground and every life mattered.

The patient looked into the doctor's eyes, she looked like she was holding back something. In situations like this they would talk back at Nola's apartment over tea or coffee in private. But that was not an option today. Abby looked over her shoulder and saw that Jackson had brought the food to Raven who had taken it and placed it on the side table of her bed. Jackson helped Raven into a sitting position that seemed to have caused the girl discomfort and a few grunts to escape her mouth. Just before Nola went to return her attention to Abby she realised that the Ravens legs hadn't moved at all, she would surely find out what had happened later on. Nola brought her attention back to the doctor and eyed her for a response. As usual, the doctor gave in with a quiet and quick sigh.

"Kane, he's acting like a dictator, he believes that the rules on the Ark should be used here, I told him I disagree. We have a chance here, a new hope; surely we can grasp that new hope and embrace a new system too? I don't know, that man just frustrates me." She said as she smoothed some loose strands of hair off her face and tucked them behind her ear.

"You're right, this isn't the Ark, out here, every life matters. We need to be together in these times. Kane hasn't opened his mind to the new world, he's still thinking like we are back on the Ark. I'm sure with time he will adjust and embrace the new culture, maybe he needs a push in the right direction." Nola said as she tried to shuffle herself up into a sitting position with the help of Abby.

The doctor thought over the young woman's words. It was clear that she was wise beyond her years. Those who truly knew her could see that. Nola's words left Abby quiet for the rest of the visit. After the two patients ate, Sinclair entered the room with Nola's research and books all shoved untidily into a bag. "Hey, Raven. Good to see you up." He said with a smile.

Nola could've sworn she heard Raven murmur "up but not about." But she didn't really want to pry, she was starting to make the connection between what had happened to Raven, it was clear that Raven's injury was still fresh and would take some time to recover from, if she recovered.

Sinclair headed over to Nola's bedside and handed her the bag of books. Nola was eager to start her work again. She had been away from it for far too long and knew that there was much to do. After she was in a more comfortable sitting position, she ate her food then she spread her books over her lap and began flicking through her pages.

A few hours had passed and Sinclair had left. Abby and Jackson were popping in and out from time to time and the room only had its two patients for the majority. Not that Nola minded. Raven was quiet, Nola had passed her a book that she had brought down to earth, it was her only non-plant research related book, it was once her mothers actually, it had been passed down from her grandmother, it was old and worn out, there was stitching up the binding and the pages were tattered. Nola's mother would read it to her when she was a child, it was a story about a secret garden. Raven had been reading it for the past few hours, she had dozed on and off throughout the day and the room was filled with the sound of very light snoring. Nola did the same – minus the snoring, she knew that sleep would not only make her recovery faster but it meant that the more she slept the faster she would be up on her feet.

The next few days blended together. The girls did their own thing - Abby had brought Raven another book to read as well. Nola's research had come a long way since she had started after her surgery. She had established many of the common plants in the area and how they are surviving – thanks to Sinclair bringing odd plants that he saw around the place - she had started a plan for crops, this would take a long time as she was yet to discover how the crops would survive earths new season changes and the quality of soils around the area. As soon as she was up and able she would begin her experiments.

A few hours later and Nola had decided to give her studying a break. She'd packed her research away and was preparing to have a nap. She had closed her eyes and was about to fall asleep when a commotion started outside and a single gunshot echoed through the station. Nola's chance of sleep was immediately washed away; instead she was now wriggling up into a sitting position with her eyes buzzing around the room. Her mind was racing, who shot the gun? Who got shot? Was it a grounder? One of the hundred? Bellamy? Nola could feel her blood going cold at the thought of Bellamy. Oddly enough she would be highly dysfunctional if he were to die. He was once her closest friend. Her mother had always teasingly said that they would be a cute little couple. At the time Nola wasn't even remotely interested in boys in that way, but she felt something fierce for him, deep in her heart that she couldn't describe. She didn't love him, she loved her mother but not him, he was different. When he had left her in the hands of Toby she felt like her heart had been crushed and only half of it survived. But even after that she knew that her feelings for him would never change. She once saw him as her most valued friend, she'd like to fix that one day.

Abby burst through the door moments later, along with a couple guard members carrying an unconscious man in their arms. He had a big bloodstain that was growing on his chest; he looked as pale as a piece of chalk. The doctor came straight to Nola's bedside "Nola, I need your bed, Sinclair take her out."

Nola understood and nodded straight away, she swung her legs over the bedside with the help of Sinclair who swiftly picked her up marriage style while Abby pulled off the bed sheets and replaced them with a plastic sterilised bed spread. Jackson was busy preparing the tools for surgery while Abby was ripping the unconscious mans shirt off with the utmost precision. Sinclair brought lips close to Nola's ear because of the commotion going on around the med bay "Come on, lets get some fresh air." Which naturally had Nola nodding with a 'mhm' in agreement. As she was carried out she looked over her shoulder to see Jackson and Raven watching her as they left, Jackson eyes and her own met for a moment before Abby yelled out at him to hurry up which had his attention whipped back to the patient. Raven on the other hand looked very envious, she watched Nola all the way until she was out of the room and out of sight.

As Sinclair, carrying Nola, walked down the hallway and towards the door she could hear a commotion coming from outside, "The people are restless" Sinclair said as they neared the doors.

"Why's that?"

"A patrol brought in a grounder. The people went straight after him and the guy in surgery now had gone to grab a gun from a guard, he got himself shot, probably wont make it." he said as they entered the blinding sun outside.

Nola covered her eyes from the sun as they went further outside. It took a while for Nola's eyes to adjust. Sinclair carried her to a table and sat her down, taking a seat beside her. Nola sat there with her eyes shut as she leaned back on the table while she listened to her surroundings. The people were still rowdy and bickered between each other. But apart from that it was very relaxing. Nola opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings. The fence was up, it still had plenty of room for improvement but nevertheless it was up and would keep any wild animals out, excluding grounders.

The two sat at the table facing outwards for a while. They didn't speak, just listened and observed their surroundings. Nola was leaning her back against the table with her eyes shut. Her hair swayed softly as she felt the freeze flow through, it was nothing like The Ark, any sort of breeze there was generated by a machine, and even then it was irregular and would come as a quick gust and be gone in a flash, it happened every now and then, the engineers said it was normal and that it was just built up pressure. Little did she know that it was one of the earlier signs of the Ark failing. Feeling the wind between her hair she decided to take her pony tail out and letting all of her hair fly in any direction it chose. I small smile crept onto her face as she as she closed her eyes and listened to the wind again. It was very soothing, Nola focused on the noises that the wind was creating as the sounds travelled to her ears; the slight tapping of the tin roof they sat under, the occasional flapping wings of a bird, the strong smell of pine trees and a slight smell of blood coming from the infirmary. Nola was grateful to be out of the hospital, she was overdue for some fresh air. Raven must be going out of her mind right now.

"Sinclair?" she ask with a casual voice. The man hummed in response. "Thanks for bringing me out here. I know you had too, but thanks. It'll be good to start walking again so I can bring Raven out here. She must be losing her mind in there, she been in there longer than me anyway."

Sinclair eyed the girl, curious about what goes on in that mind of hers. "You know, Abby mentioned the other night to start getting you moving around, want to give it a go?" he asked with a small smile.

Nola's eyes sprung open from her squint as her head spun around to face Sinclair, the wind was blowing at the back of her head so he wouldn't have been able to see her excited smile beneath her long hair covering it "Now?" she asked with a nod from Sinclair in return.

An hour later and the two decided to take a break back at their table. Walking practice was going slow but good. Nola had stumbled a bit, forgetting that her legs were weaker and her core muscles were injured. Thankfully she held Sinclair's forearms as he walked backwards facing her. By the end of it she wasn't stumbling and could safely hobble slowly around without falling. Nola felt exhausted after that and the two decided to take a rest. Sinclair returned with a drink of water each and passed one to her as he took a seat beside her. After they had a drink he pulled out two food packets and they had one each, Nola shoving hers down to calm her hungry body.

After their break Nola had felt she could do one more walk before heading in, Sinclair agreed with her and decided to head into the infirmary and see how things went with the man to make sure there would be a bed spare again for her. Watching him leave she noticed how he walked with purpose and a certain determination, like someone else she knows, well, knew. Watching Sinclair disappear Nola began to wonder what Bellamy was doing. Last thing she had heard was that Abby had given weapons to him and a small group from the hundred including space walker and that Murphy kid and a couple others as they were going on their own mission to find the hundred because Kane had other plans. Nola scoffed to herself, typical Kane, he was never good with the younger generation, only the really little ones that were easy to manipulate. The hundred would be too much for him to control and by the looks of things he was struggling to control the adults too. _Self proclaimed chancellor._ Nola murmured as she chuckled to herself not realising that she had a set of eyes that belonged to that self proclaimed chancellor - burning into the back of her head. "Nola" a voice from the station called out which had Nola's whipping her head around, her heart beating at the thought that it was Kane. Relief filled her when she saw that it was Abby was walking up to Nola with a cloth in her hands wiping them. How she had not recognised the woman's familiar voice she wouldn't know, but it certainly sounded very strained and tired. She looked very tired and Nola wondered when the older woman last slept.

"How'd it go?" Nola asked,

"Not good, we lost him. The wound was too serious for the tools we have at the moment." She said sadly. Nola frowned at the woman, Abby always does her best and when things like this happen it's always a jab to the practitioner, and people blame the skilled who try to save the human. She was fully capable but this was just an unfortunate case.

"I'm sorry to hear. I heard he was a parent of one of the hundred, who was his kid?" thinking back to the people bickering to each other earlier. 

"Unfortunately I don't know, he will be buried and when Bellamy and the others return with the kids one of them will find his grave." She said with a deep sigh at the end, the doctor composed herself again and went back to business mode "Anyway, Jackson is just cleaning up at the moment and Sinclair said he'd be back soon to go for a walk again, he said you went really well, I'm glad to hear. The sooner your able to go back to your usual lifestyle the better." She said with a sincere smile, knowing how much of a workaholic Nola can be and that bed restriction was getting in the way of her work.

"Will Raven be able to go back to her usual lifestyle?" she asked quietly.

The doctor frowned and spoke with sadness, "No, Raven will never be able to walk again, not without an aid. It will take time, eventually she will be able to return to work but she will always be restricted, it will be a hard life from this point onwards, but then again she has always had a rather tough life, even on the Ark. Not everyone was as lucky as you and I, Raven was gifted beyond words with her work in zero gravity, but that isn't going to help her now, unfortunately." She paused, eying Nola, as the younger woman was lost in deep thought. "You look different."

Nola flashed her eyes up to meet Abby's, the doctor had a soft expression on her face, Nola honestly wasn't sure how to respond. "I'm not sure what you see, I feel the same, only difference I see is that we have a second chance at life, and for that I'm grateful. Every life matters now, and I want to make the most of this life, my adventure reminded me of how quickly we can lose our lives and that we need to learn from this new world and to survive it, all our lives matter and we need to protect each other…. That's just my thoughts out aloud anyway." She added on the end, trying to be casual about it, realising that she sounded rather dramatic.

"I see. Your adapting, you know? Life on Earth has already started changing you, you're like a flower blooming, no garden pun intended." She added with the smallest grin.

The two women smiled and chuckled quietly to each other, unaware of Kane and his guard approaching.

At the sound of footsteps approaching, the two woman looked behind Nola to see Kane and his guard members approaching like a bully and his posy ready to cause harm, Nola knew straight away what was coming their way, she could see it in their eyes, punishment. And those eyes were aimed at Abby who was standing at them with a proud stance, however Nola could see fear and uncertainty in her eyes.

A blond stern woman with a name tag saying Major Byrne approached the two women with Kane following a right behind, with his usual stern face, however Nola could also see the smallest of uncertainty in his eyes as well, that look became more obvious as they met Abby's eyes.

"Dr Griffin, you are under arrest for aiding criminals, you have committed felonies that are punishable by shock lashing." Ordered Major Byrne as two other guard members grabbed the woman's upper arms and started dragged her off, avoiding the doctors fierce glare at them all, especially Kane.

The guard members were past the table and were making their way to two posts that had straps hanging from them, Nola hobbled up into a standing position just in time to grab Kane's arm to stop him. "Kane, what are you doing, you know that her decision was the right one, how else would we have gotten people searching for the others so soon? This is ludacris and you know it too, it can tell. If you go through with this you wont have the respect of the camp, you'll be their dictator, and you will have no respect, not from anyone." She said with her usual strong fire burning in her eyes, doing her best to convince the prat she detested. It was to no avail, although her words had made a dint in his plan and determination, he yanked his arm out and glared at her with such intensity that most people would back down immediately, but not Nola, she knew better and he was just too delusional to see it.

"How would you know, your just a child who thinks she's an adult, you have no experience, you have no respect from others, you have no one relying on your decisions, so how would you know about anything that I do? Go back to your research." He said as he turned to walk away.

The conversation looked to be over but Nola thought otherwise, she hobbled with purposed after him as he walked towards Abby as she was getting tied to the two posts while people started surrounding the well-respected doctor. "No, I don't have the age old wisdom that you have but I know that you should never harm your own. It would be the same as leaving them for dead. You'd know all about that wouldn't you?" she said as Kane faltered in his step. She knew she couldn't stop the shock lashes but she could make him regret it even more by getting under his skin. She continued to pursue him and talk louder with each sentence, "Jaha, Jinks and the 320 people who sacrificed their lives on the Ark so we would have a chance here, mothers, fathers, children. Their lives ended so ours could go forward, what you are going to do will make people scared to evolve their lives, we need to take risks in this world, how else will we survive, the old rules are irrelevant now, we no longer need to restrict the amount of people on the Ark, we need to bring everyone together and rebuild our society, this time based on rules that are going to evolve us, not restrict us." She said as she hobbled after him, clearly struggling to keep up with his fast pace. It was obvious that her words were getting to him, he was nearing Abby and Nola could see the doctor had her attention on Kane, along with a few other people crowding around. Kane marched up towards Abby and Nola knew she wouldn't be going any further, at least not physically "Kane." She said as his shoulders tensed as he walked behind the doctor and face the crowd and staring Nola dead in the eyes. He had hardened his shell on the outside but inside he looked like he was holding onto threads. "Kane." she repeated "You heard me before, this wont make things better. I think you know that too-"

"Enough." Major Byrne said breaking the tension between Nola and Kane. "We are not here to discuss principles and opinions" she said between the two, the blonde guard member turned to face the crowd that had formed around Kane and Abby "Today we are here for the punishment of 10 shock lashings to be brought upon Doctor Abby Griffin who has committed several felonies; aiding known criminals and trafficking weapons. On your order Chancellor." Byrne gestured as she walked and waited behind the doctor.

"You cant be serious Kayne?" the doctor asked, hoping there was a mistake or something. The older woman stared intently at Kayne as Major Byrne ripped open the back of Abby's shirt, Nola starting to tremble from disbelief of what she was about to witness. "We don't have to do this down here.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this Abby, you left me no choice." He said with a sad look. The man nodded to the blonde guard woman and she tore open the back of the doctors shirt allowing easy access for the lashing.

"Kane, it doesn't need to be like this." Abby said in a low voice that only the chancellor and a few others around including Nola could here.

Kane shook his head at her words "No, it does. Proceed." he nodded towards Byrne to begin with the first lash. A cry leaked out through Abby's clenched teeth as the first lashing burned her back. Her hands gripped the straps so tight her hands were changing colours. "Again." Kane said as another shock lashing burnt her back as another cry, this time no longer held in filled the air. Nola's hands covering her mouth as her eyes watered, body shaking as she watched helplessly as her friend was electrocuted. After Abby had a moment to recover she lifted her head and looked Kane dead in the eyes. She still held her determined strong look, Nola felt very proud to know the woman, her stare at Kane was fierce and when Kane repeated his order his voice wavered. Abby screamed out in pain and her legs gave way, no longer able to hold her body up, held but the straps on the posts, her head hung low. "Again" he said for the fourth time, Abby grabbed hold of the straps just before she was zapped again. Four down, six to go. Nola shivered at the thought as she watched the punishment unfold, her insides boiling with hot tears of pain and anger as she watched the most respected woman of the camp get lashed for making the biggest choice of all. Getting the hundred back faster.

The rest of the punishing was a blur. Abby had also tried convincing Kane at about the seventh lashing, saying similar to what Nola had said to her a couple days ago.

 _We have a chance here, a new hope; surely we can grasp that new hope and embrace a new system too?_

She was unlucky, Kane didn't listen to her words but the crowd did which gathered more respect by those around her. The sight had Nola cringing with each cry of pain from the shocks, it was a severely unpleasant sight and no-one looked like they wanted to be there. Sinclair and Jackson had joined Nola as soon as they heard Abby crying out from the lashings but she hadn't noticed until she turned away after the eighth lashing or so, Jackson looked furious and Sinclair looked to be covering up his dislike for the chancellor, even though he would never show it like Jackson was, sending dangerous glares at Kane and the guard members, like everyone else was. After her shock lashing she was carried to the infirmary by Jackson and Sinclair only partly conscious with Nola hobbling behind, Abby didn't deserve it and by the end the chancellor looked pretty upset with himself and couldn't even look at Abby or anyone in the vicinity as soon as the last lashing was given he left and headed into the station, probably to his office. Nola felt satisfied that he looked to be regretting it dreadfully.

By the time the four had entered the infirmary Nola felt exhausted, she decided to sit on the end of Raven's bed while Abby was treated. Raven didn't mind, she pulled herself up into a sitting position beside Nola, leaning against the wall on one side of the bed with her legs resting on a chair that was being used as a bedside table with only two books and a cup on it. Raven was lucky her bed was against a wall, Nola sat at the end, trying to give Raven as much room as she wanted, thankful that she just had a somewhere to sit.

"You know, I may be a cripple but I'm not contagious, you can move closer." She said with a cheeky half smile. Nola smiled friendlily and shuffled closer, careful for to do herself any damage, she had done far too much today but she was glad she was able to unnerve Kane before and during Abby's punishment. Once she was comfortable she mimicked ravens position and leant against the wall and dangled her own legs off the bed. It was surprisingly comfy, Raven on the other hand didn't look completely comfortable, she glanced down at one of her legs that rested lifelessly on the chair, a sad look washed over Nola's face as she felt as sad as Raven looked. Whatever happened has changed her life forever. Nola wondered what she was like when she didn't have a frown on her face. What she a cheeky girl? Did she play pranks on others? What she sarcastic? Yeah, she was already sarcastic, that wouldn't have changed. She thought with a sad smile on her face. Nola was unaware that Nola was also looking at the girl's dead leg. "I'm not a complete cripple, once I'm fully healed I'm going to make something like a frame to hold it together, its in my head, just gotta put it to paper." She said as she tapped her head with a friendly smile. Nola admired her confidence. Raven had a certain warmth about her, she was like metal in the sun, warm, bright and unmoving, strong and unbreakable, damaged, but mendable. Nola respected her for that.

"Well, once it's put to paper, you better let me help, I'd love to learn how your mechanism will work." Nola said with her warmest smile. Raven didn't need help, but Nola wanted to be friends with this girl. Hopefully she said the right thing.

Raven looked downwards at the floor and chuckled to herself, "Sure." She said as she lifted her head with a different sort of demeanour, more like metal in the summer, just a little less damaged.

Sinclair, Jackson, Raven and Nola waited about thirty minutes for Abby to come through, afterwards the group patiently waited and watched as Jackson treated Abby's back. The doctor kept a strong face as Jackson applied alcohol to her back each time and she flinched each time it was applied. Nola could only imagine, it would burn so much, being applied to the raw skin, the thought sent shivers down Nola's spine. Sinclair had left shortly after Abby had woken up to go and see the grounder prisoner. Raven had gone back to sleep and Nola had found herself a chair in the next room over that she could use. The room was quiet while Abby was treated. Nola watched from a distance with curiosity. A new wave of curiousness rose when Jackson paused and looked at the doorway as Kane entered the room looking as though he had just kicked a puppy. Nola felt pity for the man, he had made the wrong decision and he clearly knew that too. "Thankyou Jackson." Abby said as Jackson send a cautious look Kane's way before moving over to the cabinets to put the tools and alcohol away. "So? Did it work? Is the rest of the camp back in line?"

"This wasn't… this wasn't something I considered lightly-"

"You don't have to justify yourself. I broke the rules and I accepted the consequences." The doctor paused. "But you can lash me a hundred times and I am still going to break the rules, I am going to do whatever I can to find those kids. My kid."

Kane looked deflated "I know that."

"Then I guess we're done here." She said as she slid off the bed and landing with a small grunt. She walked around the bed towards the toolbox standing on wheels. Nola was glad that she was sitting in the corner opposite the room, Kane hopefully hadn't noticed her yet. She was happy listening quietly and knew that Abby didn't mind.

Although the conversation looked to be over, Kane's behaviour seemed to differ. "I'm leading a mission to bring them back. This won't be a bunch of kids looking to start a fight, but a diplomatic mission to make contact with the grounders commander, and negotiate peace. I'm bringing the grounder prisoner with me." 

Abby hadn't faced him while he spoke. She tilted her head slightly over her shoulder and spoke. "Marcus, he could be leading you into a trap."

"Perhaps, but, it'll give us a chance." He responded, causing the doctor to turn around and face him. "I did hear you, you know."

"I'll go with you-"

"No. No, you're needed here at camp-"

"Jackson can handle the medical." She said, determined to go with him. Nola felt she shouldn't be in the room.

"Its not just your medical expertise that will be required, I need to know, that while I'm away, you'll set a good example for our people." He said. Nola had a feeling she knew what was coming next so she tried to silently creep out of the room as best she could.

Abby fiercely looked at Kane "If you do this I'll be a model citizen."

"I need you to be more than that." He paused while Nola crept quietly under the doorframe. "I need you to be chancellor." He said.

Nola's head spun around so hard to face the two that she should've jarred her neck. Her eyes were wide open at Kane's words; he wanted Abby to be the chancellor, to guide the people through their new journey, to inspire each other to evolve. Nola felt butterflies in her stomach for her friend. She knew she should have already left the room for the two to have their private conversation but she felt stuck in place, eager to hear her response, even though she already knew what it would be.

Nola heard a clinking noise as something was placed between the two adults, most likely the chancellor's pin. "Please Abby." He said. "For your people."

Nola knew that it was her time to leave. Knowing what the response was from the doctor – now chancellor – nodding and attaching the pin to her chest. Nola shuffled silently out of the room and headed towards the grounder prisoner where she knew Sinclair would be.

"Hey" Sinclair said as she approached him and a couple others. "What are you doing here?"

"Kane said I could talk to the prisoner, see if I could gather some information for my research before they leave." Which was actually true, to a degree. She had left the infirmary and was making her way to Sinclair when Kane stopped her and asked a favour. He wanted to know if she could have a go at gathering information, anything to get him to speak. Nola had never been asked this sort of thing, she figured there would be no harm in asking questions so she agreed and here she was.

Sinclair didn't look too convinced, Nola wasn't in the mood to try and convince him, luckily she didn't have to because Kane arrived a moment later and backed her up for the first time ever which had not only Nola's eyebrows raised but Sinclair's too.

As Nola entered the room she noticed how it didn't look anything like the prisons in the sky box back on the Ark. This one was dirty and had vines growing through it that Nola hadn't yet found during her research, she started walking towards it, cautious about the grounder watching her movements as she slowly hobbled past him and went to inspect the vines. While she did so she admired how the natural lighting from the sun illuminated the room in a way that made it almost beautiful, even for a cell. "Interesting" she murmured to herself. She plucked a few leaves and observed how the sap exited not only through the stem but also through the pores on the leaf itself. It wasn't a light creamy texture she was expecting, instead it was a deep orange and it was almost clear. The liquid seeped fast and the plant died a moment later in her hands, a limp brown leaf with the moisture sucked out of it. "Very interesting" she said to herself. A moment later she remembered what she was doing in the cell. With the leaf in her hand she made her way to the wall opposite the grounder and sat on the floor. She imagined that she would look rather intimidating sitting higher than him, as though she were more valuable than him when in reality they were both only human. Nola slowly slumped down onto the floor and took a few deep breaths, thankful to be siting again, this day had been very eventful, to a degree. "Its amazing, all the plant life. Up there" she indicated, looking up at the sky as it seeped through the ceiling "there weren't many types of plants, nothing like down here on earth. Its remarkable how much the earth has changed since the war. I used to watch the earth from satellite photos and observe how much the earth changed. It's a beautiful place. I'm very envious of you. There's so much around you, so much to learn, to do and to see." She paused to catch her breath "I used to work with the plants up there you see? Now down here I have the task of preparing for crops. After that, I'm not sure what I will do. I'd love to study your culture some day. Your weapons are wonderful. I've seen your archers in action, they have so much precision and finesse, your arrows are so fine yet versatile. Its so interesting. And your spears, I found one impaled in one of our people, they are so slim but stiff, very simple and well made considering they are just wood, no spear heads.-"

If Nola wasn't watching the grounder as she spoke she may not have even heard it, he spoke English well but his voice was quiet, he mustn't have spoken in a fair few days. "Those were not our spears." The grounder murmured.

"Who's were they? If they weren't yours then who killed him them?" she asked with honest curiosity, she was interested to know who had killed Toby if it weren't one of the grounders.

The grounder was staring Nola dead in the eyes, deciding what her motives were, she wasn't sure how good he was at deciphering people but he must've known she had no bad intentions. "It wasn't us." He repeated. "One of our men saw it from the trees, a boy was alone with another person, a young man. He was the one who killed him."

"Do you know that mans name?" she asked, her interest peaking.

The grounders dark eyes pierced her own, "Bellamy."

 **Dun dun dunnn! Hey guys! Sorry I've been away for too long, I was at a bit of a mind block. I'm constantly thinking about Nola and the plans I have for her but its just figuring out how to get her to that point.**

 **This chapter was double the length of my normal chapters; it's about 9000 words. And I would much prefer to give you larger chapters to compensate for my lack of updating.**

 **I really hope you enjoy the chapter, please let me know if things don't make sense. I'm really trying to work on that as I'm starting to evolve Nola's character and getting her to open up to those around her instead of shutting herself away like she did on the ark, I already have so much planned for her in season three its insane!**

 **What did you guys think of season three? I had all my faith that the group would figure something out but I just – wow! It was so intense! After the ep 'stealing fire' where we lose someone I just don't know! Gah! Please review and tell me your thought on this chapter, do you prefer longer chapters with longer updates? When I say longer I don't mean months and months (which I apologise for)**

 **Please review and give me your thoughts!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm just going to apologise right now for my horribleness. I can honestly only say that I'm sorry for not updating. I hadn't forgotten or ditched this story, life events just got in the way. Any way! Here you go.**

Her blood ran cold and her body felt numb, "Bellamy? H-How do you know that name?" she asked in disbelief.

The grounder looked like a seasoned warrior, ready to kill at any moment, Nola figured he hadn't said a word to anyone else nor made any attempt to do so since his capture, why is that? The grounder nodded and spoke in a lower voice "The name was called out after the boy was killed, the killer responded to the name."

Nola stared at the grounder in shock, how did it come to this? Why was Bellamy the one to kill Toby? How come the grounders didn't kill him then and there? These thoughts plagued Nola's mind as she observed the grounder, he was most likely telling the truth, what reason did he have to lie? He was merely passing on his knowledge, like Chinese whispers, even though he had no reason to do so. Nola wanted to ask him so many more questions but felt that the grounder wouldn't answer most of them.

"Why are you talking to me?" there was no reason to have a deeper meaning when talking to this prisoner, it wouldn't make the situation better.

The grounders shoulders tensed as he straightened his back in a defensive position. It was a simple question with no deeper meaning, the grounder seemed to notice that as his body relaxed realizing that there was not threat behind the words. Nola was simply curious, no one else had any luck, so why was she any different?. His dark brown eyes pierced her hazel ones; he was very intimidating, even tied up. Nola should be more cautious but felt there no need, as it wouldn't improve the situation. After a moment of silence the dark skinned grounder spoke. "You are curious, the others speak for their own gain on the battlefield, but you are different from the rest of your people. You have no care for winning a battle you will lose, you only care to learn. It is clear… But curiosity will get you killed if you are not careful." He paused, considering his next words very carefully, "In time, when your people have lost the battle or a treaty is formed, perhaps you will be able to learn more about our culture… Or..." He paused again, a dark look forming in his eyes "You will get a close up experience of our weapons and culture before you die a quick death." He said before struggling in his handcuffs and stretching out to her making grunts of struggle as he wreathed around in the cuffs to intimidate Nola. It had worked, she was scared, but she was still curious none the less. Even with this mans deadliness she wanted to learn more.

Nola composed her self as best she could, trying to hide her uneasiness "We will see." She said before getting up slowly to make her way to the door.

"We will see." The grounder repeated as she opened the door to exit, watching her leave the room.

Shortly after their conversation Kane and his posy took the grounder and began their journey to the grounder camp, to trade and form a treaty. It was clear that there was no gain in the conversation for anyone other than Nola, she didn't tell them about Bellamy and Toby, she wasn't entirely sure it was true either. Eventually she repeated the information gathered from their conversation about threats and curiosity and death, and even the possibility of a treaty and learning the culture. The last part interested Kane the most as he mulled over her words before leaving. Shortly after that Nola hobbled back to her bed and fell into a deep slumber, not waking up until the next night, almost 24hours later.

" _No! No please! I'm begging you. Please don't do this! Please Bellamy! I'll do anything you want, just give me another chance, we were a team, we can be one again I know we can! Just please don't do this… please. Bellamy-"_

Nola shot up out of her bed with a loud gasp, she felt cold to the bone and her clothes were drenched with sweat. That had been horrible. Nola dreamt that she was watching Bellamy kill Toby; only she was in Toby's place. Her heart was still racing and her stomach stitches ached from jolting upwards so fast. She could still see it now, even though she was awake. His dark dangerous brown eyes piercing Nola's wide petrified ones, and his thick curly hair hanging over his eyes giving a dark and daunting look. A frightening view to say the least. Nola sat hunched over gripping her chest trying to slow her breathing and steady her heart rate. Her long hair hung low around her body and covered her face, the sweat making it curl in long loose ringlets. Breathing in and out deep and slow, Nola found herself calming down. That was the last thing she had expected to dream of. Never once did she think Bellamy would physically hurt her, let alone spear her through the chest. The thought sent shivers crawling through her body.

"Hey, are you alright?" the familiar voice belonging to Raven spoke softly.

Nola raised her head slightly and looked over at Raven, the girl was lying on her side watching Nola with a dopey look, it was clear Nola had woken the girl up from her sleep. The moonlight shone down and illuminated most of the room. Nola could see the exit clearly and knew she needed a breath of fresh air. "Yeah I uh, just had a bad dream. That's all. Sorry for waking you." she said as she rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hand as the other pushed her damp sweaty hair off her face.

"Its cool, I wasn't having that great of a dream anyways. I'm kind of glad that you woke me up." Raven said before pausing as she bit her lip and looking at her legs, there was a long pause as Nola began to get off the table and stand, making sure she had a solid footing.

"How do you know Bellamy?"

Nola's head whip towards Raven with wide shocked eyes, really hoping that she was only hearing things. She was frozen in spot as her mind flashed back to her first time meeting him.

 _In front of Nola was a boy maybe a couple years older. He had an odd look on his face. Surprise, embarrassment and interest mixed together. The last thing he had probably expected to see was a girl crawl out of a ventilation tunnel, covered in grease, hair in all different directions, wearing a pretty blue dress with a grin of accomplishment covering her face._

" _Hi, I'm Nola, Who are you?" She asked, his face wasn't familiar to her. She smiled at him as though she hadn't just come out of a vent._

" _I uh… My name is Bellamy"_

"We used to be friends, once." She mumbled before mentioning that she was going to have a shower and leaving the infirmary.

Nola had shuffled down the hallways at a snails pace, her wet hair was no longer hot and sweaty but now cold and damp. She wrapped her arms around herself as she stepped through the doorway to the bathrooms. It was late at night and everyone was asleep, the room was dark and it was hard to see. There was a ray of light shining at a convenient angle into one of the shower cubicles and Nola headed that way.

The shower was freezing. The hot water must have been all used up. Nola had let it run for a minute while she stripped hoping it would warm up but the water remained cold. Plucking up the courage to pluge into the cold shower on the cold night she stood with braced up with her fists clenched and took a quick step into the shower and tried to stay in it as long as she could. It would only last a couple seconds but eventually – after a few tries - her body adapted and it was colder outside than it was under the water. Nola stood under it and tried her best at scrubbing the sweat out of her hair and body; she thankfully found an old bar of soap that was well used and very thin. She used a bit on her body and the last of it on her hair.

She was well over due for a shower anyway. Some of the people from the Ark were having showers every day, some even twice a day. It was only a matter of time before the water ran out and we would need to find another water source, fun job that would be. As Nola stood in the shower, washing the last of the soap out of her hair her mind wondered to the good days when her mother was alive and healthy. A tune popped into her head and before she knew it she was singing it in a soft quiet voice. It was an old song her mother taught her, it was from the earth before the war, it was almost forgotten to the people of the ark, Nola never forgot, it lingered in the back of her head, she would always sing or hum when she was little and just before bed. Her mother would stroke her hair and sing the lullaby until she fell off to sleep. It worked especially well when she was really stressed and just needed to wind down. It wasn't a privilege she took advantage of but she would always sing in the shower whenever the time called for it. Tonight was one of those nights.

" _Que sera, sera_

 _Whatever will be, will be_

 _The future's not ours to see_

 _Que sera, sera_

 _What will be, will be_

 _When I grew up and fell in love_

 _I asked my sweetheart_

 _What lies ahead_

 _Will we have rainbows_

 _Day after day_

 _Here's what my sweetheart said_

 _Que sera, sera_

 _Whatever will be, will be_

 _The future's not ours to see_

 _Que sera, sera_

 _What will be, will be"_

The lyrics were always jumbled and the verses were mixed up at times and other times she could only remember the chorus, Nola sang it out of tune a couple times over as she cleaned the last of herself before turning off the shower and realising she didn't bring a towel.

Nola used her shirt as a towel as she dried off as best she could. She wore her sports bra and baggy navy work pants as she stepped outside into the cold air towards the communal clothesline. As she stepped outside her wet hair whipped around in the wind and stuck to her face, the water that she missed when drying herself felt like ice on her body as she wrapped her arms around her self as she shuffled to the clothesline.

As she neared it she found a spare spot and hung her wet shirt on the line. She walked down the line and found a dry baggy shirt. With every intention of washing it and returning it Nola slipped it on. A couple rows over and she found a thick jacket that was a couple sizes bigger than her and pulled that on too. As she put it on she noticed a feint smell of dirt and pine on it, instead of the usual sterilised, unscented smell from the ark.

The place was very quiet. As Nola wandered around the outside of the station she listened to the sounds of the occasional murmur of guards on patrol or nearby animals. Nola could also hear a strong buzzing sound as she neared the fence, she was highly tempted to touch it to see if it was live, even though she knew it was, instead she tore off a grass leaf and held the end, she brought it up to the fence line and waited for a light zap that had her body jolt, _yep, that is definitely live_ , she thought to herself as she started walking along it, feeling the zing in her body, heightening her senses.

As Nola strolled her mind went on a tangent, it had been a few weeks since they'd settled in there new camp. She began thinking about the hundred, where they could be, if they're safe, when they will be back. She thought about her research and when she will be able to put it to practice, the fence would need to be extended, the crops need more space and the people need to be safe from the grounders. Nola wondered about the grounders culture, how it became what it is, what their government is like, what the people are like, surely they aren't all solders, there's got to be farmers, merchants, chefs, families.

After a couple hours of wandering and thinking Nola decided to head back inside, the temperature had dropped again and her hair wasn't any dryer than when she woke up, only without the sweat. Nola was heading inside when she heard voices, a familiar tough females voice and a man who she couldn't recognise. The two were arguing about something and Nola felt she shouldn't get involved but to get inside she needed to pass them. The woman spoke again and this time Nola recognised her voice as Major Byrne, the blonde woman from the guard. She was arguing with a younger man, also in guard uniform. Nola could only see parts of his face reflecting in the moonlight. As she peeped around the bend at the two as they argued about twenty metres away, she wondered what they were bickering about. They seemed to be in a heated discussion and Nola could only pick out certain words, what she did recognise sent shivers down Nola's spine. They were talking about her. After a while she understood that they were talking about her conversation with the grounder the previous day and how disrespectful she was to Kane when he was chancellor, Byrne was being rather rude about Nola and she didn't appreciate it at all. She wanted to get up and say a few words to the two of them but she was interrupted when a hand quickly covered her mouth and she was quickly being carried away and around the corner, out of sight. Nola's eyes were wide and her chest was pounding, she struggled and wreathed about as much as she could, in the end she bit the persons hand that was covering her mouth and a quiet curse came from the familiar voice.

Nola spun around to see Sinclair rubbing his freshly bitten hand "Jesus Nola, couldn't you have waited a moment before I let you go?"

Nola stared at Sinclair in disbelief, was he serious? Was he even aware of what Nola was listening in on? "What? Are you kidding me Sinclair? Didn't you hear what those two were talking about? I thought you were going to kidnap me and feed me to the grounders." She hissed in a low voice.

"Yeah I heard them, that's why I wanted to get you away, Byrne's bad news Nola, always has been. She's manipulative and selfish. If you went there right now she would have you locked up for some ridiculous reason, even with Abby as the new chancellor, Byrnes' still bad news." Sinclair said rubbing his temples with the thumb and point finger of his good hand.

Nola wasn't sure how to respond, what was there to say? There wasn't much to really say at all other than "I'll keep my eyes open. I just don't appreciate it at all. Sure Kane gets on my nerve but I haven't broken any rules, I just see things differently from him. Difference of opinion." She paused, a thought popped into her head and she was saying it before she realised "but with Abby as chancellor, surely Byrne is restricted, right? I mean Abby will have the final word." she asked Sinclair.

The man pursed his lips as he thought about her words, it made sense, Abby was chancellor. But there were rumours about Byrne and how she had gotten her way and weaved around chancellors in the past; hopefully they were just bickering, nothing deeper than that. "Who knows, we'll just have to be more aware of her." He said, murmuring the last sentence.

Shortly after Nola's surprise conversation with Sinclair he headed back to his patrol duty, the two agreed to keep it between themselves since it was for the better. There was no use getting anyone else involved in something that could just be banter. Nola quietly made her way back to the infirmary without seeing Byrne or anyone else. She may not have noticed them anyway; her mind was racing with the thought of everything and Major Byrne to top it off.

Nola quietly snuck through the door and onto her bed and under her sheets. Within moments of lying there her pillow was damp from her hair, unable to sleep Nola shuffled around and flipped her pillow over to the dry side. Trying to get more comfortable, she didn't realise that Raven was quietly observing her from her own bed, her eyes filled with many questions, most that probably wouldn't be answered. After a bit Nola had stopped moving and was lying flat on her back with one leg bent up. She still wore the jacket and the blanket rested at her waist. Nola rubbed her eyes again before moving again and lying on her side, facing Raven. The two had a bit of a staring competition, waiting to see who would speak first. Eventually Nola realised that Raven wasn't going to start it so she rolled over and had her back facing Raven, "Night Raven." She said as she shut her eyes and tried her best to get to sleep.

The two lay there in silence for a few minutes, Nola was hoping that Raven had fallen asleep hence why she didn't reply but that wasn't the case. "I miss everyone. Shortly after the hundred were sent to the ground, Abby found me and the two of us tried to get down here, in the end she couldn't make it and I went there alone."

Nola remembered that, Abby was worrying thinking that Clarke was dead, the wristbands were failing and everyone thought the Earth wasn't survivable, Abby mentioned Raven and that she thought that they must've been pulling them off. At the time Nola thought Raven was one of the team monitoring the vitals of the hundred, she didn't realise that she was a bit younger than Nola and was mending an escape pod to head to Earth on, Abby left that part about Raven out. But she was aware that Abby wanted to get to ground, just didn't mention how. Now she knew, irrelevant information, but still interesting. "I know" Nola replied in a quiet voice.

"First person to find me was Bellamy, he wrecked my radio receiver, I could've killed him." She said chuckling to herself "He was an ass in the beginning, everything was to protect his little sister, and himself. At least that's what it was originally. But I soon realised that he had started to become a leader, a strong one at that, the way he and Clarke led that battle against the grounders at the drop ship… He's not all bad." Raven said as she watched Nola's back.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked in an even quieter voice, wishing that she just hadn't replied.

"Because, Nola. Bellamy isn't all that bad, sure he's an ass but he's a good person on the inside. His ass looks good too." She said with the tiniest smirk.

Nola's cheeks went bright red as she rolled over to face to other girl, awkwardness written all over her face "Raven!" she hissed with an embarrassed voice. She couldn't understand how people could openly make comments like that when she thought they were so personal. But still. It did have Nola almost wondering, _almost_. Nola shook her head "Honestly. _Goodnight_ Raven." She emphasised, trying to get the emphasis across and keep a steady voice at the same time without chuckling. It was unorthodox but it worked, Nola found herself feeling a little more relaxed, Raven had wiped her mind clean for the time being. Whenever Nola went to think the thought of Bellamy's butt was the first and only thing there, even though she had no idea what it actually looked like but there were plenty of naked arses running around the ark back then. She quickly blocked everything from her mind and found herself asleep before she knew it.

"Goodnight Nola" Raven whispered, Nola was lucky to have Raven for company, the closest thing she could call a friend.

The next day was a hot one. People were mulling around under the shade, construction had stopped for the day and people were spending their time doing that other little chores that needed to be done. Even in the heat many people were still doing their normal jobs.

Abby had come to the infirmary to take Nola to her new room since she was able to move around now, she would still have to go in for check ups and get her stitches taken out in a couple of days but Nola didn't mind at all.

As the two made their way to the rooms Abby spoke her thoughts out loud, she started talking about what it's like being chancellor, most of the conversation was about the ins and outs of the camp and the daily mishaps going on. How things weren't as great at getting a beacon out so that the other stations could be found. There was someone working on it but he'd been asking for Raven but she wasn't ready just yet, not for a couple more days at least. Best not tell her that just yet.

After a few turns they made it to the place Nola would be calling home. Sliding the door open she stepped inside, Abby waiting in the doorway. It was a nice plain room, bigger than when she was living alone. It had a kitchen, her own bathroom, a big bed that was clearly meant for two people, a large table and a two seater couch in the corner. It was grubby and needed a clean but there was a roof over her head and a bed to sleep on. It was perfect. There was also plenty of room to do her research too.

"I hope its not too much. Sinclair and I agreed that you needed ample working space and the privacy to be able to focus. The water supply isn't that great but you have enough for just one person for the time being. The electricity in this section isn't that great, the lighting doesn't always work but everything else is good. Just needs a clean is all." The new chancellor said as she leant against the doorway.

"Its perfect Abby, larger than necessary for one person but its still so wonderful. Thankyou" the botanist said with as much sincerity as she could muster. It was truly perfect.

The older woman smiled, the creases from stress showing not age but a different beauty. "Your welcome, now I can come by for tea again." She chuckled standing back up in the doorway. "I'd love to stay but I've got to get back to it. When you get a chance later this afternoon Jackson mentioned that he wanted to see you about something to do with your research."

Nola nodded in response, a small fluttering feeling in her stomach shaking around. Watching the woman go she tried to bottle down those odd feelings as she started to get into cleaning.

Even through all this wandering and searching for the rest of the hundred, Bellamy couldn't get rid of the lingering thoughts of the gardener. Seeing her unconscious face was the last thing he'd expected to see, it had unsettled him.

They'd been running for a while since they'd left the storage bunker where Finn had shot the grounder after he'd given the information they'd needed. It had become mind numbing to a point where each step became robotic and Bellamy had almost gotten lost in his thoughts again. His mind was brought back to reality when he ducked under a low branch, a stick scraping his check, the sensation reminding him that anything can happen, and anyone can die if they aren't paying attention.

"Everyone, eyes peeled. We're in Grounder territory." They'd been jogging towards a clearing when Murphy shouted from the back, causing a tick of agitation the Bellamy couldn't shake off.

"Everything is Grounder territory alright? I can't keep running." He said stopping and causing everyone to do the same. "We don't even know is the guy was telling the truth."

Finn still not calming down after his moment from the storage bunker grabbed Murphy's shirt and pulled him back into the direction the group were running in. "Keep moving."

Watching the conversation unfurl Bellamy could see that everyone could do with a break. "We slow for a minute."

"No, _we can't_ " Finn insisted, his eyes only on the prize and nothing else. "You heard what the grounder said. 'They'll outlive their usefulness'."

A general frustration working its way up to the surface and Bellamy couldn't back down. "I heard what he said when you had a gun to his _head_."

"Look, you think I wanted that? He would have told his people were coming, and by the time we got there, our people would already be dead. Maybe thats something you can live with, but I can't!" he shouted as her tried to shove Bellamy but he resisted and held Finns shoulder to stop him before he went off and continued, Bellamy found it hard to not flare up in these situations and had to settle down as best he could to get his friend to listen.

"Hey, you did what you think you had to do, but you are not yourself right now, and I can't be out here with another loose cannon."

"Guys." Monroe said, snapping the two out of their discussion, pointing her gun ahead of the group in the direction they were going.

Devastation.

On both sides of the path lay many mangled bodies. "Fall in" Bellamy hushed. The group did so and the advanced further into the graveyard of people. As the continued the body count grew larger by the each step.

"Where the hell did they come from?" Finn asked as he advanced ahead of Bellamy as it all dawned on him.

"The Ark." And before they knew it they'd reached the edge of a cliff and could see what had actually happened. The station must've collided with the Cliffside and exploded with fuel and people. At the base of the cliff lay the wreckage, Murphy saying something on impulse about a rough landing was blurred out. Seeing the mess before them, Bellamy could tell that there were no survivors. It was impossible. "There's nothing we can do for these people. We gotta go." Turning away from the wreckage to continue only to be held in place by a woman's scream in the distance, at least that's what it sounded like.

"Do you hear that?" Murphy questioned as they all looked over the edge for the human connected to the voice.

"Hey. Hey, someone's down there." Monroe pointed.

Bellamy inched as close to the edge as safely possible and shouted down there. The dark haired girl had sun-tanned skin mixed with charcoal and dirt yelled back at them for help. Further proved that the impossible was possible and that someone had actually managed to survive this mess.

The next hour was a blur, so much happened it was hard to comprehend. Sterling recognised the girl as his friend and used the rope to lower himself down. No one checked the ropes. No one even held it for support to be ready to haul the two up. The group were all too focused on the cliff side to grab the rope before it came loose and sterling fell to his death, his body colliding with a boulder causing an instant death and his body rebounding away from the rock wall before hitting the ground. In the haze of losing a comrade the team searched the wreckage for enough material to make a makeshift rope to save the girl. Once they did Bellamy was the one to go down, careful not to meet the same demise as Sterling. All was going to plan until the strap broke and the team scrambled to pull Bellamy and the girl up. And to make matters worse grounders attacked as Monroe was forced to let go of the rope and fight back with one of the guns, only Murphy and Finn holding it with a great deal of struggle. They'd almost lost it when a spear came at them and Finn had to let go to roll out of the way just in time as Murphy was dragged much closer to the edge almost losing before Finn came back. The team was going to lose and Bellamy would have fallen to his death. And it was going to be that way until a familiar horn rang throughout the air. Acid Fog. The grounders fled instantly and the Finn, Murphy and an injured Monroe hauled the two back up to the top. The group was preparing to flee when Octavia emerged from behind the shrubs, holding the horn which had the grounders fleeing thinking it was a real acid fog warning call.

"I can't believe it. O, you're here, right in front of me." Bellamy was overcome with happiness as he pulled his sister into a tight embrace. "How did you find us?"

"Well the gun fire was a bit of a giveaway, lead me straight to you." she smiled, turning around and making her way over to Monroe who needed help with her leg, the arrow was still in it and it didn't look good.

Bellamy wanted to ask more but something held him back, maybe it was the way she held herself or the way her sentences ended but it stopped him from badgering her, best for another time.

Deciding it would be better to be doing something then to stare dumbly at his sister who was kneeling over Monroe's leg, inspecting the puncture he slowly made his way over to Sterling's friend Mel, she was standing awkwardly a little away from the group, trying not to be intrusive. Finn certainly didn't help the situation; he was raking over the map the grounder had drawn up, ignoring everything around him. When she'd stumbled onto him after they got hauled up she fell onto his chest, rather gracefully for a scrawny looking girl who had more bone than meat on her. Bellamy could remember her stumbling off him after he'd ignored her thanks and rolled her off to go and investigate the map. Since then she'd just been looking around the group, diverting her eyes whenever Murphy or Monroe looked at her, Finn in his own little world where the only think important was Clarke, wherever she and the others were.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked as he approached her, she was holding her arm protectively as she cautiously looked at him, an almost reserved look that reminded him very much of a familiar brunette he once knew.

It was clear she wasn't doing very well, she nodded and tried to say she was alright, not wanting to be a burden but Bellamy wanted an honest answer, no sugar coating. If she wasn't okay, they had the supplies to help. They would have to go back to camp since Monroe was injured. He asked again, this time with a no fuss attitude. "Your arm doesn't look to great, we cant have anyone trying to hide injuries, it only makes them worse. We have the materials. I'll get a sling together for it."

Soon enough Mel was wearing the sling, her reserved, shy expression continuously reminding him of Nola, his mind had already strayed to her again since they'd lost Sterling and gained Octavia. Knowing that they would be heading back to Camp Jaha filled him with an array of mixed emotions. Anxious, nervous, frustrated, irritated, and resentment. He had no idea how he'd respond when he saw her, it was only a matter of time. The camp was small and even though it was ever increasing in size and people, it was only a matter of time. At least he can go beyond the gates. Not like on the Ark.

 _Life hadn't been the same at all since he lost his family. His mother was floating in space and his sister was in the Skybox. He worked majority of the time now. He was one of the many janitors on the Ark and it wasn't nice to say the least. He was in the making of a guardsmen and he'd earned a certain level of respect from his friends and those he worked with but that all changed when his family got broken up. He left the room he grew up in and moved to a single bed unit with the bare minimum needed for one person, he had less rations and sometimes couldn't get what he needed to last in between each pay. He didn't go out drinking and mainly kept to himself. His luck with females hadn't ended, maybe they thought he was mysterious or something but it didn't matter to him, it was the closest thing he'd gotten to any sort of friendship or relationship. They never usually stayed, no one ever did. Not even his childhood friend._

 _They were both reaching adulthood and hadn't spoken in a long time. Bellamy didn't want anything to do with her, she didn't speak to him so he wouldn't speak to her, it was easy. Everything had changed so much. They'd both lost their parents but she got the better end of the stick, her job was so important, she was always invited to meetings at Argo station, sometimes with members of the council regarding her 'very important work'. Bellamy thought it was a joke, the workers were the important ones. She just did her research and kept to herself, she never shared her ideas with anyone or the Ark itself. When they were kids they always spoke of inventions that they want to make, race cars and laser beams for Bellamy but all plant related junk for Nola._

 _Noelene McCarthy would never change. She was set in her ways, even if the world developed around her she wouldn't embrace it, no she'd shut away, whether it be mentally of physically who cares. No one needed her. Especially Bellamy._

 _It was a usual day like any other. Bellamy was heading over to the exchange at the factory station to get some cleaning supplies and new equipment, he was waiting a line that wasn't normally there, it was supposed to be one of the more quiet days in the week so why there was a waiting line who knows. Some loud person was arguing with a woman at the front, as usual, always bartering for the best price. The people waiting behind were starting to get rowdy because of the wait. A second line had opened up and everyone raced to it to get to the front. Only a few waiting in the first line, Bellamy included, ending up third or fourth from the front._

"" _Please Jillian, all I need is this part, it's a common part that filters oxygen and water and has a recycling component that also works as a duel combination jet. The part is always breaking and I really need a new one." The woman begged._

 _Jillian was the grouchy old woman who needed to retire about 20 years ago, it was miraculous she as still alive, she had grey wispy hair that sat in all angles that greatly contrasted with the woman being served with the light brown hair who had her hair in a giant messy bun. "No means no. I've told you over and over that it's not as common as you say. Wherever you got that part from mustn't have been a good seller, take it back to them and get it replaced."_

" _But I got it from you! Three days ago, right here!" the woman protested._ Typical Jillian, the memory of a sieve, she was one of the only merchants on the ark, whatever world she great up in must've fried her brain _Bellamy thought. Had he not been in a hurry to get to lunch he would've been amused by this but the hunger was getting to him; he was almost ready to leave if the woman didn't soon._

" _Miss McCarthy, I would never sell you a broken part. I only sell quality pieces and equipment, not if you don't leave now I will have to call the guards." The old woman huffed as she stood before the brunette with her arms crossed, a 'try me if you dare' look planted sternly on her face. "Leave and go back to your so called 'Research'"_

 _The people had started to stare and murmur to each other. People knew the name well enough, there was only one McCarthy on the Ark and there were plenty of rumours to keep people gossiping for months. Bellamy didn't quite know what to do. He instantly braced up and put on a blank expression, a 'don't even think about looking at me because I really don't care' look._

 _Nola had collected her piece and was turning to walk away, alongside the waiting line. Bellamy could see out of his peripheral vision that she'd paused in her step when she'd seen him. From what he could see she had a blank expression up until she'd seen him. Her eyes had widened and her mouth open but her feet frozen in place._

 _Time seemed to stretch longer than reality, what felt like many minutes was only seconds. In the time that it took for Bellamy to blurt out "What are you looking at." With a hiss, Nola had pulled herself back inwards and the usual emotionless gaze glazed over her again as she walked away. most would think she'd gone back in her shell but the two of them both knew better than that. It was believable, almost._

 _It took everything Bellamy had to not go in the direction he'd seen her go in after he had what he needed. It took more than what he had, before he knew it he was walking in the same direction. After taking a few turns he could have sworn he was in a familiar place. Vents were larger than most places in the ark and there were many doors. Thinking that she was long gone he turned around and began to make his was back. His mind starting to go elsewhere quickly he continued on his way, back to work._

 _Sobbing._

 _Bellamy froze as he thought he heard crying, it was feint and very hard to hear but he could have sworn it was there._

 _Again._

 _That was definitely sobbing, and it was coming from a large vent, a very familiar vent. Remembering something from long ago and her knew instantly that the gardener was in it._

 _Why did he come here? Was there a reason he went after her? He was angry at her for what had happened. That much he was certain, so why did he feel so odd about hearing the gardener crying. The more he though the more frustrated he began to feel. His hands were clenching his equipment harder than he thought. He could feel his hands starting to tingle. Why was he angry? She had a better job. She was doing what shed set out to do before all of this started. She still has friends from before and she isn't alone. So why does he feel this way? Bellamy felt jealous, she plastered on a face and when she thought no on was looking that's when it would fall. Pick one. You don't get the best of both worlds. You have to pick one. It doesn't work that way. Bellamy's mind was swimming with these thoughts; he stood in front of the vent, kicking it with his boot to get the gardeners attention._

" _We don't all get to be as lucky as you. Make a difference and stop crying. You aren't the only one who's lost. Move on and decide. Either be the emotionless gardener that we all know or stop hiding behind the façade where you think you're better than everyone because it doesn't work like that! We don't get to choose both, I wanted both of them but now I have nothing, yet you get it all so pick! You don't get to be the lucky one. Not you. You shut yourself away and only come out when you need something, life doesn't work that way! To stop being so fake! Be real and quit with the reserved 'your highness' act because we all know that it's a lie. So pick one. Or leave us all alone." Panting harder than he should have he kicked the vent once more before leaving. He didn't care that he shouldn't have done that, all the built up angry and frustration from everything had just been dumped on her while she was at a low point. But he didn't care. Not yet anyway._

 _He could've sworn he heard a quiet apology but her didn't care._

"Argh!"

Snapping out of his thoughts he was bought harshly back to reality, Octavia had snapped the arrow in Monroe's leg and pulled it out – causing the scream. His sister was here, and she was stronger than ever before. Whatever she'd learnt or experiences out on her own, it was clear that she was growing up.

At some point Bellamy had taken a seat on a rock, fin was drawing up another map, duplicating the one he has perhaps? Hard to tell. Murphy was still pacing around as Mel was now picking at the leaves on a charred bush.

The girls were talking to themselves for a little bit while bandaging up Monroe. Murphy, clearly done with pacing around wandered up to them with his lax but conniving attitude and just couldn't seem to shut his mouth again. "Nice foghorn. What happened to your boyfriend?" He asked mockingly as he went to touch the horn. O grabbed it before he could get a hold of it and hesitated momentarily while she tightened Monroe's bandage to finish it off.

"He's gone."

The realization at what could've happened to Lincoln chilled Bellamy to the bone. Getting up he made his way over to his sister and knelt down behind her. "Hey. I'm sorry. O." Was all that he could muster in him, he could feel her pain. He was a good person.

Nodding at him in thanks she stood up and grabbed her things. "The Grounders will be back, so we need to go, now."

Fin having not spoken in a fair amount of time finally came to the first agreement of the day. "Yes, we do."

"The arrow might be poisoned. We have to take her home. Back to the camp." Octavia muttered.

Handing Bellamy the map he was drawing he knew as well that Monroe and Mel needed to go back, Bellamy wouldn't be able to do this alone and needed Octavia to go with him. "I'll meet you as soon as I can." He said to his friend as the boy with the long straight brown hair jogged away, Murphy following swiftly. Going on about a 'parting with such sweet sorrow' as he passed the two, only stopping when Bellamy barked at him as the 'where the hell did he think he was going.' It was clear between the two though that there was nothing left from Murphy at Camp Jaha, he'd only go back into a jail cell. Coming to some sort of an agreement Bellamy chucked a rifle over to the other boy and told him to watch Finn's back. Nodding in agreement they set off on their different directions.

Moments later the four were heading home. Monroe, Mel, Octavia and Bellamy were finally going back, after weeks out in grounder territory to head back was a relief. But at the same time it was a realization that he wouldn't be able to avoid Nola McCarthy much longer. Not long at all.

 **Helloo! So this has lot of little things in it, if at any point in time I'm not making sense it's probably because I have a plan, and that plan is yet to show itself. But there will be lots of things next chapter, which I am already working on. If at any point I'm not making sense again, please tell me.**

 **I can say that in the flash back Nola was struggling to deal with all her emotions after not having an outlet like Bellamy does with 'love making'. So her outburst was a rare case on the ark. Also, I have been trying to extend the time frames so if it isn't easy to understand please let me know! Your reviews are so valuable to me. They really are.**

 **But just quickly just in case anyone would find this of interest:**

 **Nola has never been in a relationship, nor has she had sex.**

 **Bellamy will not be her first love**

 **Nola will not be all about plants for this whole story. As she gets more comfortable things will happen and she will not be able to avoid situations that will without a doubt put her gardening career on the side and out of the way.**

 **They two characters won't always be separated, this is just leading up to situations. I have a plan!**

 **Please give me your thoughts! Review, Review Review!**


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